The Past and the Present
by Neonculr
Summary: Jordan is the silent new student at Ouran Academy. She has her reasons, secrets, a past that haunts her each day, and a fear of befriending anyone. What will happen when she gets mixed up with the host club and the scars of her past collide with her will to befriend them? Also, is something more than friendship in store for our scared little girl? OC x ? (pairing in later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

'Man, I just want to read!' I exclaimed in my head. I stood in the empty hallway as I closed the fourth library's door. I groaned and walked through the hallways a little more. After a few minutes I had found a stairway. I decided to explore the second story and maybe find a quiet room.

After a couple minutes of walking I came upon an abandoned music room. I opened the door and peeked my head inside. The room became bright and rose petals flew at me.

"Welcome." A group of guys said in sync.

I lifted an eyebrow and blew one of the rose petals off the frame of my glasses. This is the host club I've heard about. Of course these rich people have one at a high school. They all have too much time on their hands. Damn rich people.

"Oh. It's a dude." A pair twins said together. I think they're in my class.

"Hikaru and Koaru, this visitor has the same class as you, right?" A guy with glasses asked.

"Yes he is, but he's not very sociable, so we don't know him so well." The twins replied in unison again.

The guy with glasses smiled and said, "It's impolite to say it like that. Welcome to Ouran High School Host Club, Honor Student." The guy with glasses said.

"What? This exceptionally rare honor student we've heard about, Jordan Akira, is you?" A blond guy exclaimed.

I pulled my head out if the door and closed it behind me.

"Hey!" I heard the blond guy exclaim.

I put my hand in the pocket of my hoodie and walked back down the steps. About half way down the twins opened the door and said something to me.

"Where do you think you're going? Come back here!" They asked.

I turned my head just enough to look at them, then continued down the steps.

They both shrugged their shoulders and went back inside the room.

I had found a place outside void of people. It was just me, my thoughts, and my book.

'...finished.' I said in my mind as I closed the book. It had been about an hour since I ran into the 'Host Club', and I wasn't bothered at all. I put the book in my bag and took out the next one in the series.

"Why are you sitting on the ground Joe?" A childish voice called out, interrupting me.

I looked up from my book to see the little boy from the 'Host Club.' After staring at him for a minute, I looked back down to my book. Wait, did he call me Joe?

Pair of footsteps could be heard and stopped just in front of me.

"Mori! There you are!" The kid exclaimed, jumping into Mori's arms.

"Honey, don't just wander off. Everyone was worried about you."

"I'm sorry Mori." Honey said, looking down and squeezing his rabbit toy.

I took my focus off of them and began reading. Mori walked away with Honey, and I sighed in relief and silence soon settled around me.

I stepped into class and put my backpack beside my chair.

The twins were immediately in front of my desk, looking down at me with their hands on their hips.

I ignored them and took out the necessary materials for class.

One of them slammed their hand on my desk, and I moved my eyes from my backpack to look at them.

"You broke His Highness." The twin with his hand on my desk said.

I blinked and moved my eyes back to my backpack.

"Do you know what hell he's been giving us since you closed the door on him!?" The other twin asked.

When I ignored then they began to explain.

"He's moping in a corner and he's turned blue! Even if we try to help him he stares fire at us!" The twins exclaimed together.

I turned my eyes to them once again. They were staring at me, nudging me to say something.

I zipped up my backpack and hung it on the back of my chair. I turned around to face them, and they were still staring at me.

"Say something stupid!" They exclaimed.

I opened the book on my desk and began to read it.

"Why aren't you saying anything!?" The twin with his hand on my desk exclaimed.

I stood up from my chair with my head still facing down at my book. I snapped my head up and glared at them, with slightly squinted eyes and furrowed brows. I was glaring at both of them at the same time. They drew back with fright on their faces and I didn't even blink. The background faded to black and I looked over the twins.

"Y-you have to come back to the club..." The other twin said, trying to be brave.

I held my glare and the twins both spoke up. "You have to apologize to Tamaki!"

A smirk played at my lips and the twins got scared again. They looked at each other, and then back at me. The color drained from them and they stood completely frozen.

I closed the book on my desk and threw it into my backpack. The background immediately changed back to the empty classroom. I pushed everything into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. I walked past the ghostly white and frozen twins and out of the room.

They quickly appeared at my sides, their hands behind their backs and angry looks on their faces. They had their chins held up with their eyes closed, mouths formed into a frown.

After a couple minutes of walking we reached the music room. I pushed open the door and went straight over to Princey. I had ignored the rest of the club. Just like the twins said the corner was blue and so was Princey.

I stood and didn't say anything. He noticed my presence, and he slowly turned his head towards me with fire in his eyes. Everything around him turned red and he glared at me, fire shooting at me.

I kept a blank look on my face and turned back towards the door.

"Oh, now he did it." Hikaru said, crossing his arms the same time as Koaru.

I turned and looked at Princey. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and a quivering lip. After a couple of seconds he began bawling like a child. He was lying on mid stomach, pounding his hands and feet on the ground as tears made a fountain from his eyes and made a puddle on the floor.

"WHY DOES HE KEEP IGNORING ME!?" He whined.

Just then a girl with long black straight hair ran in crying. Princey immediately composed himself and she ran into his arms.

"Tamaki! Ryoichi was so mean to me!" She exclaimed.

"What did he do to make you cry, my dear princess?" He asked, grabbing her chin.

"If he just snapped out of it so quickly like that why was he moping for so long earlier?" I asked inside my head.

"He called me a carp! Am I really that ugly!?" She exclaimed, crying more.

"Of course not, my dear. You are like a beautiful Mermaid Princess, bringing light into my lonely sea."

"I remind you of a mermaid?" She asked, completely entranced.

I laughed a little.

Tamaki glared at me and the girl looked too.

"Why are you laughing? Do you think you can do this better than me?" Tamaki snapped.

I smirked.

The Host Club all looked at me, confused and surprised looks on their faces.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tamaki asked darkly.

I laughed once again, and the girl turned to me.

"Do you think I look like a carp too?" She asked, tears forming in her eyes again.

I walked over to her and took off my glasses, blurring my vision tremendously. I manipulated my hair so only the girl could see my face.

"Oh my... Your eyes are so beautiful..." The girl said.

I smiled and tilted her chin up with my fingertips.

"Are you a new host? I would love to see you again." She asked.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I pulled her face towards mine, and just before our noses touched a soft smile spread on my face. I stared deep into her grey eyes, and a blush spread on her cheeks.

She stared at me for a second with wide eyes, her entire face burning red. Just then she shrieked, "AAH HE'S THE SILENT TYPE! HE'S SO CUTE AND MYSTERIOUS!" And with that she passed out.

I rubbed the back of my neck. I didn't think she would pass out... I stuck the glasses back on my face and smirked.

Tamaki stood there fuming.

I smiled and went to walk out of the room, but Tamaki took the glasses off of my face and chucked them across the room.

I looked down just before anyone could see my face, thank god.

"How dare you take her from me! What makes you think you can do that!?"

I panicked because I couldn't look up.

"Why aren't you saying anything!?" He exclaimed, clenching his fists and stomping his foot on the ground.

I stood there with my head down.

"Why is his head down?" The twins asked.

"And why isn't he talking? Is he a mute or something?" Tamaki asked.

"Not to my knowledge. If he was mute he'd have a sign to communicate with." Glasses guy said.

I turned from the group and moved over to where Tamaki threw my glasses.

I heard glasses guy start talking about me, but I just looked for my glasses. I had been looking around for them for awhile, but couldn't find them. I got up and went to go to the other side of the room, when a crunching sound came from under my feet. I quickly got down and picked up my mangled glasses.

"Well, what are you going to do now without your glasses?" The guy with glasses asked, stopping in the middle of his sentence. "I know you can hardly see without them."

I had turned around and started walking when I bumped into something. I heard a loud crash, and I put my hands out in front of me to see what I had hit.

"Now you did it." One of the twins said, appearing at my side.

"We were going to use that vase in the school auction. The bidding starting at eighty thousand dollars." The other one said on the other side of me.

Eighty thousand dollars for a vase? What's with these rich people!?

"What are we gonna do? Make him pay for it?" Koaru asked, crouching down to collect the glass.

"Can he?" Glasses guy asked.

I put my hand to my chin and thought for a second. 'Well, my total savings is about fifty thousand dollars, including my Paris fund and my savings account, also if I can do enough fundraisers and get a book or two published-'

"Of course not! Commoners like him don't have eighty thousand dollars lying around! Joe, if you can't pay with money, you'll pay with your body! From now on, you're the host clubs dog!" Princey exclaimed, sitting in a chair and pointing at me.

I clenched my fists, annoyed.

A few hours later:

"Do you have the coffee?" Tamaki asked as I walked in with the grocery bag.

I handed him the coffee I bought, and he stared at it with a confused look.

"What is it?" Princey asked, looking at the instant coffee container. "Is it coffee?"

I snatched it from his hand as he tried to open it. He tried to open it while the container was upside down.

I began to make the coffee and I unpacked the groceries.

I made it for the people who wanted it and all eyes were on me. I also took out some tea bags and placed them on the table.

"Why'd you get tea?" Koaru asked me.

I ignored him and poured the finished coffee into cups.

"So then how do we know this instant stuff isn't horrible and you're trying to poison us?" Hikaru asked.

I picked up a cup of coffee and drank it, earning terrified stares. I put the empty cup down and everyone was looking at me, waiting for feedback.

Flashback:

"Mom, what kind is this? It's tasty!" I exclaimed. It was me, back when I was little and my parents were still alive. Back when I wasn't closed off from people.

"It's just instant! It tastes the same as regular coffee and it's cheaper too!" My mom said happily.

"No way! This is tastier than coffee!" I said with a gleeful smile on my face.

End of flashback

I snapped out of it and realized I had begun trembling.

"Is it so bad that you're going to collapse or something?" The twins asked.

I shook my head and forced a smile onto my face. It was the only coffee I liked, but it got taken off the shelves before my mom could get more. My dad liked it too. After that day he kept trying to make his coffee taste like it, but it always came out terrible. I forced the smile on my face to stay there, but I felt my lip start to quiver. Mom... Dad... The smile disappeared from my face as their faces came to mind. I dropped the tray with the cups on it and ran out of the room as I thought about my parents for the first time since the funeral.

I had sat and curled up in an empty classroom for about fifteen minutes before I could pull myself together. I fixed my emergency glasses and sat for a few minutes, calming myself down and telling myself I was okay. I took a deep breath, and fell down to the floor again.

Who am I kidding? I can't go back now...

"Where is he!? He's been gone for twenty minutes! Let's just go back." Hikaru said from the hallway.

"We have to find him or Tamaki is going to have another fit." Koaru said.

I got up and opened the classroom door. The two brothers turned their heads and looked at me with blank faces.

I stared at them for a second then turned and headed for the Host Club. The twins appeared at my sides, walking along with me.

"So what's your deal?" Hikaru asked.

I gave him a side glance, but didn't answer his question.

"And why'd you freak out about your glasses when you had spares in your backpack?"

I also ignored his question.

"And why do you hide your face when your glasses are off?" Koaru asked me.

"And why did you run out?" Hikaru asked.

I stopped walking. When are these guys going to realize I won't answer them?

"Why don't you say anything?" They both asked, hands on their hips.

I looked at Hikaru, then at Koaru. These two, there's something different about them. They're not like normal twins. They're... Distant from the rest of the world. Just like me.

I snapped out of my thoughts and they were still staring at me. I stared at them for a few seconds, but pushed past them and towards the music room.

"Are you mute?" Hikaru asked.

I shook my head, and the twins looked at each other.

"So you're not mute, but you don't talk? Did something happen to you, like an accident or something?" Koaru asked.

I shook my head again, and the twins gave each other confused looks.

"Do you have emotional trauma or something then?" Hikaru asked, stepping in front of me.

I stopped in my tracks. Emotional trauma. That's exactly what happened.

"Hikaru, I think you just hit a bull's eye." Koaru said, also stepping in front of me.

"So if we ask are you going to tell us?" They asked together.

I shook my head.

I can't tell them. Or anybody. Because I can trust no one. I will always be betrayed by my so called 'friends'. And if I tell them... They'll possibly take it as me offering my trust and friendship.

"Oh well. We tried." Koaru said.

"Are you sure you can't tell us?" Hikaru asked.

I walked ahead, going up the stairs and towards the music room.

I opened the door, and Honey immediately hugged my legs. "Joe! You're all better, right?" He asked.

I looked down at Honey. He got a little scared, and Mori stepped in front of me, looking down at me with a harsh expression.

I stared at him for a couple of seconds and walked away, making Honey let go of my legs. I went back over to the table where I had the groceries, and noticed the coffee powder was spilled everywhere.

"Did you find anything out?" Glasses guy whispered to the twins.

"I don't think we're going to get anything out of him. Seems like it has to do with emotional trauma." They whispered back.

I took a broom and dustpan along with a washrag and began cleaning up the coffee.

"You don't have to do that, there are janitors." Tamaki said, relaxing in his chair.

I turned towards him and stared for a couple of seconds, but then turned back to the coffee. I gathered it all in the dustpan and went to throw it away, but noticed the garbage can was overflowing with trash.

"Hikaru! Koaru! I told you to take out the trash last week!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"But it was Hikaru's turn!" Koaru exclaimed.

I sighed and picked up the trash around the bin. I crushed in down into the bin and dumped in the coffee grains. I picked up the bag and threw it over my shoulder, getting ready to take it out to the dumpster.

"You actually are willing to touch trash!? You commoners sure are interesting!" Tamaki exclaimed.

I shot him a glare and walked out of the room.

I returned to the music room to find complete and utter chaos. Kyouya was typing away on his computer furiously, Hikaru and Koaru were running around with papers flying everywhere, Mori was dealing with a crying Honey, and Tamaki was barking orders left and right.

I walked through the chaos unnoticed and resumed unpacking the still untouched groceries.

"Wait! What about Joe? He can't even pass the visual test!" The twins said.

I turned towards everybody and the twins were in front of me. They reached to take my glasses off, but I quickly put my hand over them.

The twins tugged on my glasses, but I held them on my face. After a little tug of war, the frames of my glasses snapped and became separated from the temples.

I looked down and crushed the temples in my hands, breaking the plastic. Fire erupted around me as anger boiled to the surface. I've broken my only two pairs of glasses... Now I have nothing to shield me from the outside world. I used my glasses to hide my eyes, and to help my vision. I figured if I didn't dress well and take care of myself, people would leave me alone and not try to be my friend.

I sighed and dropped the broken temples on the ground. The fire disappeared around me as I gave up. Even if I did get another pair of glasses, these guys would probably break them again. I slowly lifted my head, and stared at the blurry figures with a blank expression.

Tamaki stepped in between the twins and snapped his fingers. He began barking orders and the twins pulled me into the dressing room. They handed me a uniform, and after kicking them out of the dressing room I put it on.

I stepped out and Tamaki smiled.

"He may be able to bring in customers like that." Kyouya said, pushing up his glasses.

"That's it!" Tamaki exclaimed. He threw a pointed finger in the air and brought it down dramatically at me. "Starting today, you're a host!" He said.

I slumped my shoulders and sighed. This isn't going to end well.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day I was sitting on a couch with three girls. I had given them their tea and they began asking me questions.

"So, have you ever dated anyone?" The girl on my left asked. I shook my head.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" The girl on my right asked. I shook my head.

"Aww! He's so innocent!" The two girls shrieked.

The girl in front of me set her tea down and asked, "Do you like anyone?"

I stood up and put my hand on her cheek. I stared into her eyes for a few seconds, and then smiled.

"Aah! He's so cute!" She exclaimed.

Both the girl on my left and the girl on my right grabbed onto my arms. "That's no fair!" The girl on my left said.

"Yeah! I want you to pay attention to me too!" The girl on my right said.

I sat them down on the couch and looked at them both. After a couple of seconds, I smiled at them and all three girls began shrieking together.

Honey walked up to me and said, "Joe! I heard that you're quiet because you're sad. Usa always cheers me up when I'm sad... So I'll let you borrow him!" He held out his little bunny to me and I looked down at him.

"Do you not like Usa?" Honey asked, becoming sad.

I crouched down to be at eye level at him. I took the bunny and smiled, and he ran away with a happy look on his face. I looked down at the bunny, and yet another memory crept into my mind.

Flashback:

I held my best friend's... Well, ex best friend's favorite stuffed animal in my hands. I stood outside of the classroom door and listened to her speak.

"Jo may be the smartest girl in school, but she's actually not so cool! Did you know she's never kissed a boy? And she's a total charity case too! She's always whining about her parents and her grandparents! Like, they've been dead for years! Get over it! And did you know she carries around my old bunny with her everywhere? What a weirdo!"

Flashback two:

I was holding Yuki's bunny when Junya came up from behind me.

"You still have that Bear?" He asked, sitting down beside me. He called me bear because I was his personal teddy bear, and only he could hug me when I was sad.

I carefully set the bunny down and crossed my arms angrily.

Junya took the bunny and said, "come on, you don't need Yuki! You've got me, your real best friend!"

I laughed and ran after him. We played together for the rest of that day until my Uncle took me home.

End of flashback.

That happened in middle school. My parents died by being struck by lightning, and my grandparents died from old age. Well, my grandma did anyways.

Yuki was my ex best friend, and Junya was my friend until he moved away shortly after what happened with Yuki.

"Joe!" Hikaru and Koaru exclaimed from behind me.

I gasped and almost dropped Usa. They stepped in front of me and asked, "Do you want to play a game?"

I have them a quizzical look and said, "We're going to play the 'Which one is Hikaru?' game!"

They put hats on their heads and moved around a little. Then they asked, "Which one is Hikaru?"

I pointed to the one on the right and they smiled. "Wrong!" They said.

I shook my head and kept pointing.

They looked at each other and said, "Can you prove it? Tell me why you think this is Hikaru." Koaru said.

I crossed my arms and they smiled. They knew I wouldn't explain why so no matter what I would lose.

"Looks like you can't explain, so you lose!" Koaru said.

"Next time, speak up a little." Hikaru said.

"Look out!" Tamaki yelled. Next thing I knew my uniform was covered in cake. I put Usa down and wiped the cake off of my face.

"We have another uniform you can change into." Tamaki said, leading me to the changing room.

The club had closed and Tamaki slightly pulled open the curtain to tell me.

I was about to fix the undershirt to hide my... Curves, and once I did Tamaki had already walked away. I put on the jacket and walked out, only to trip over him because he was curled in a ball.

He stood up and pointed at me. "A-are you a... A girl!?" He asked.

The club turned their attention to us and I nodded. Did these people seriously think I was a dude? I mean yeah I didn't correct them and I hide my chest, but seriously? Well, maybe my short hair played a part too.

"What!? Joe is a girl!?" The twins exclaimed.

When I fell it made my undershirt move around, so now you could see the curves in my uniform. I fixed my undershirt again, and the twins were in front of me with creepy smiles on their faces.

"So, we have a new toy to play with." Hikaru said, whispering in my ear.

"This is going to be fun." Koaru said I so my other ear. They put their hands on either side of my hips, and I giggled a little.

"She even laughs like a girl!" Tamaki exclaimed.

I... I genuinely giggled... For the first time since Yuki... No! I can't let it happen! It can only end badly!

"Are you okay Jo?" Honey asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts and gasped. In a split second I was out the door and halfway down the first floor hallway running as fast as I could. I turned a corner and found myself in the same classroom as last time. I sunk down to the floor and put my head in my hands.

I can't let myself get friendly with them. I have to stay distant or else it will turn out just like Yuki and Junya.

I haven't talked since Yuki either... When my parents died when I was ten, I had stopped talking for awhile, but Yuki taught me to be happy again. We would play together every day, and she gave me her favorite stuffed animal as a symbol of our friendship. It was three years later I learned she had been using me, and I completely shut myself out from the world. It's been three years since then, and I haven't spoken a word. Today was the first time I had laughed since then.

The door to the classroom opened but I didn't bother to look up. I had curled up into a ball at some point.

"You know, this is getting old. Two times in a week is a bit unreasonable." Hikaru said, standing in front of me.

"I mean, just because you're a girl doesn't mean you're not part of the club." Koaru said.

"We can't just not make you our friend because if it."

Friend... I'm... Their friend...?

I got up and looked at the two of them.

Friend...

The word bounced around in my mind. I clenched my fists and trembled. I screamed in frustration and punched a hole in the wall, causing the twins to back up with wide eyes.

I took my hand out of the hole and stared at it. The frustration and confusion rose inside me and I fell to my knees. I was happy that they called me their friend, but I was conflicted because I had convinced myself everybody would betray me.

The twins knelt down on either side of me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay!?" Koaru exclaimed.

"It's not okay..." I whispered.

The twins were taken aback that I actually spoke, but I went on.

"I'm scared..." I admitted to them. "I'm scared that if I try to make friends I'll just be betrayed like I was before. I'm scared that if I make friends and care for them, they'll die like everyone who hasn't betrayed me. But most of all I'm scared that I'll be alone for the rest of my life and there's nothing I can do about it." I looked up at the shocked twins and said, "I just want to feel okay again."

The twins looked at each other, and then they both hugged me. I was silent for a couple of seconds, but then I hugged them back and trembled in fear. I ended up falling asleep.

Hikaru POV:

"Is she okay now?" I asked Koaru.

"I think so. She's quiet now." He said.

We let go of her, only to find that she was asleep. Koaru and I looked at each other and I picked her up. She rested her head on my shoulder and Koaru looked at her.

"I'm still surprised she got it right..." He said.

"She's... She's like us. Just like us she has nobody in her world." I said.

Koaru and I began walking back to the music room.

"Why do you think that?" He asked.

"Just like she said, she's alone. When she attempts to let someone into her world they disappear." I said.

"I feel bad for her. She's really alone, but we had each other." Koaru said.

Just then we entered the music room and Tamaki freaked out.

"Daddy's little girl is back! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HOLDING HER FOR DIRTY PERVERT!?" He exclaimed.

"Calm down Tamaki. She broke down and fell asleep." Koaru said.

"My little girl had a break down!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" He screamed.

"We didn't do anything, now shut up or you're going to wake her up!" I said as she stirred in my arms.

I set her down on one of the couches and we explained what happened to Tamaki.

Jo POV:

I opened my eyes and sat up, stretching and looking around. Wait, I fell asleep!? Oh no!

I jumped up and gathered my stuff, hurrying and not paying attention to the other club members. I was about to run out the door, but Hikaru caught my arm.

"Wait! Where are you going?" He asked.

I looked at him, then back at the clock. "Sorry Hikaru, I have to go!" I ripped my arm out of his grip and ran home, praying I would get there in time.

I ran in through the door and closed it silently behind me. I threw my stuff into a corner and hurried to the kitchen. I had just entered when I saw my uncle standing in the kitchen.

"You're ten minutes late." His deep voice boomed.

I was about to open my mouth and say something, but he stopped me.

*SLAP!*

"Next time, get here on time. Now hurry up and start cooking." He said. With that he walked out of the kitchen and sat on the couch in the living room.

I quietly touched a hand to my bruised cheek and I clenched a fist in anger. I put on the apron he threw at my feet and began making his dinner in an attempt to clam myself down.

It wasn't the first time he had hit me. He had beaten me up so badly that I almost collapsed at school. He would never take me to the doctor, so I was thankful he hasn't broken any of my bones.

I had finished making dinner, and after giving it to him I gathered up my stuff and hid in my room until school the next morning.

I had managed to hide my bruise from the twins during class, but now everybody would see it. I took a deep breath, and opened the door. I put my backpack away and I hoped nobody would ask, but just my luck...

"Jo! Why were you avoiding us in class?" The twins asked.

"I-I wasn't avoiding you." I said.

"Yes you were!" Koaru said.

"You totally ignored us!" Hikaru said.

I kept my head tilted down.

"Why are you looking at the ground?" Koaru asked.

"Look at us." Hikaru said, putting his hand on my cheek in hopes of lifting my head up.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed. I backed up to try and get away, but I hit the wall.

"What do you mean ouch? What happened to you?" Koaru asked.

"Nothing!" I exclaimed.

Hikaru tried to lift my chin but I held my head down.

"Show us!" He exclaimed.

"No!" I yelled.

He was stronger than me so he forced my chin up, and he saw my bruised cheek.

"DONT YOU TOUCH JO WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS!" Tamaki screamed, tackling Hikaru to the ground. He was suddenly at my side and pulled me towards him protectively, but I shoved him away because he had my cheek pressed against him. He looked at me and saw my cheek, and then he started freaking out.

Hikaru had gotten up and gently touched the bruise, making me flinch.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Tamaki exclaimed, tackling him again.

"STOP FIGHTING!" I yelled.

I touched the bruise on my face and clenched my fists.

"What happened?" Hikaru asked.

"I was in a hurry yesterday because if I'm late coming home, my uncle gets mad. And yesterday I was ten minutes late and he slapped me." I began to tremble as I hugged myself.

"Is that the first time he's done that?" Tamaki asked.

"No. He's been abusing me since I was ten years old." I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down.

"Why do you live with your uncle? Don't people usually live with their parents?" Hikaru asked.

"...My parents have been dead for six years." I said. The self pity i bad for myself began to bubble up and I laughed at myself. "That's why I ran out the first time. The coffee that I bought was the same kind that my mom bought once. It was the only coffee that I liked and it disappeared from the shelves before she could buy any more. It was the first time I had even thought about my parents since the funeral. I took a deep breath and laughed. "Sorry, the past three days has been kind of emotional for me. I guess my past affected me more than I thought it did."

"Jo, why didn't you tell anybody?" Koaru asked.

"I had nobody to tell." I laughed a bit and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you guys this. I usually don't warm up to people so quickly, but... I feel like you guys like me because I'm a person, not because I'm Naki and Maya Akira's daughter or because I-"

"You are Naki and Maya Akira's daughter!? But, but, you're a commoner! How are you-!?" Tamaki yelled.

"I don't inherit the fortune until I'm 18. Right now I'm living with my dirt poor uncle because he's the closest family I have."

"But the Akira's never had a daughter..." Kyouya said, flipping through his journal.

"They kept me hidden because of a threat. To everybody else I was just a normal girl, but when I got home I was a secret princess. It was kind of cool, because I would dream my life would end up as a fairy tale, but... It turned out to be a 'happily never after,' story. Either way, I'm their daughter." I folded my arms and asked, "Are you guys suddenly going to like me more now because I'm rich like the rest of you?"

"Of course not Jo! We like you just as much as we did before!" Honey said, hugging my leg.

I smiled at Honey, and felt that just maybe these people may be who they say they are.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks have passed since then, and I had been enjoying myself more than ever. I felt as if I really was their friend, and they were certainly mine. The twins and I had witty banters, especially Hikaru and I. He always pulled pranks on me in class and especially in the club. Tamaki called himself Daddy, why I didn't know but I went along with it. Kyouya terrified me with his knowledge about everybody but we would have small conversations occasionally. He was 'Mother.' Honey, Mori, and I got along really well. Honey was always a sweetheart and Mori was really kind.

It was a regular day in the host club and I was bringing Tamaki his coffee, when I tripped and cups smashed to the floor as I face planted.

"Ouch..." I said as I pushed myself up on my hands. I turned and looked to see Hikaru and Koaru. Hikaru had his foot out and his hands in his pockets, whistling like nothing happened.

"Dude, what's your deal?" I asked, taking a splinter of glass out of my hand. It began to bleed and I glared at Hikaru as he feigned ignorance.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just saw you trip." He said.

Honey appeared in front of me with a band aid. I said thank you and put it on my hand, stopping the blood before it stained my uniform.

I began putting the broken glass on the tray and Mori helped me, handing me a towel and taking the tray to the trash.

I used the towel to soak up the coffee and I heard Tamaki yelling at Hikaru. It wasn't odd. Hikaru got yelled at every day.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. He's usually not this mean." Koaru said, helping me soak up the coffee.

"I'm used to it. I can take a beating or two." I said, ringing out the towel over a bucket.

"Jo! Jo are you okay? Hikaru didn't hurt you did he?" Tamaki asked, frantic.

"No, I'm fine. I just got a little cut but-" I began.

"Hikaru! His dare you hurt my little girl! You're going to pay for this you redheaded doppelganger!" Tamaki exclaimed, charging towards Hikaru.

I sighed and finished cleaning up the coffee with Koaru. Hikaru and Tamaki were running around the room, and as he passed I grabbed Hikaru by the ear.

"Ow! Let me go!" He exclaimed.

I pulled him out of Tamaki's way and said, "Now for you, you're going to hand wash the rags and pour out the coffee. You're also going to clean up any remaining glass. If I see one stain or one shard of glass, it's not going to be pretty." I said.

"What? Why do I have to do that?" Hikaru asked, still playing innocent.

I tugged his ear and said, "Because I said so. Now get to it." I released him and he rubbed his ear. He punched Koaru who was laughing at him, then gathered the rags and bucket off of the floor.

"Mori! What did you do with the broken cups?" I asked.

"They're in the garbage." Mori said.

"Okay. Honey, make sure you don't walk around here until Hikaru cleans it up, okay?"

"Okay Jo." Honey said, stepping away from the area.

"I'm going to go check on Hikaru." I said, walking to where he was.

"Rrg, this coffee won't come out!" He said to himself.

"It's not going to come out if you just hold it under the running water." I said. I took it from him and showed him how to ring it out, and he clumsily did it with me. I giggled at his unsteady hands and the concentration on his face.

"Since you don't know how to ring out a towel I guess you don't know how to sweep either." I said.

"Kyouya, where's the broom?" I asked.

"Over there." He said, pointing to a small closet. I took the broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the bits of glass.

"Okay guys, I'm going to go home." I said, putting the bits of glass in the garbage. "Bye!"

They all waved goodbye to me and I hurried home, not wanting to end up late again.

I silently pushed open the door and the house was silent. I put my backpack down in the corner and found a note on the kitchen counter.

"Be back in two weeks. When I get home I expect the house clean and dinner made."

"He's gone...?" I said to myself. "He's gone... I'm free!" I exclaimed. "Finally, I can get all the chores done and relax!" I hurriedly cleaned the whole house top to bottom, organizing everything and making repairs. After a trip to the hardware store I fixed the stairs, painted the walls, and even replaced the broken cabinet. I vacuumed the house, cleaned under the couch cushions, dusted, mopped, and made all the beds. I tidied up my room and repainted it, and even steam cleaned the carpet.

I stretched and fell onto my bed, relaxing for the first time in a long time. Then, after a few minutes I fell asleep.

I woke up at around 9 am and stretched. I combed my short hair and pulled on my school uniform. I had worked all weekend, just so I could stay longer at the host club with everybody. I ran out the door and raced to school, excited to tell everyone the news.

The day went by quickly, and I raced to the host club right after school.

"Guys! You'll never believe what happened!" I exclaimed, bursting through the door.

"Well, you seem excited today." Kyouya said, pushing up his glasses.

"I am! My uncle went away for two weeks and I can do whatever I want! It's so wonderful knowing I'm free!" I said, twirling around.

"Great! That means you can go on vacation with us!" The twins said together.

"Vacation? When?" I asked.

"We leave Saturday evening for three days and two nights." Honey said.

"N-nights!?" I stuttered.

"Don't worry, if you do come you'll have a separate room." Mori assured me.

"I-I know it's just... I've never stayed overnight anywhere besides home. It's just kinda scary." I said, rubbing my arms.

"Don't worry Jo, if something happens, we'll protect you!" Honey said, hugging my legs.

"Well... It is kind of scary... But I'll go!" I said, patting Honey's head.

"Alright! Kyouya, mark everyone as attending." Tamaki said.

A few minutes later the club opened and we let all the girls in. I had adopted the 'natural' title from the 'silent type' title.

"Jo! We're going to play a game!" The twins said, walking up to me with matching hats on.

I rolled my eyes and put the lukewarm cup of tea on the table. "Are we playing the 'Which one is Hikaru?' game?" I asked. I pointed my finger to the one on the left and said, "You're Hikaru."

"What's your reasoning?" Koaru asked.

"Koaru, you're more laid back and mature. Your expression naturally is calm. You always tend to worry about Hikaru, before caring about yourself. But Hikaru is more immature and mischievous. He's like a little kid. His natural expression is curious. He wants to do what he can but doesn't know how to do it. He's also the usual mastermind behind those pranks I've been experiencing in the middle of class." I stood up and said, "Also, Hikaru is three inches taller."

Honey tugged at my sleeve and looked up at me with worried eyes. "Jo, have you seen Usa? I can't find him."

I have him a soft smile and picked Usa up off of the couch. I handed him to Honey and said, "Come on, let's go play!"

I flashed a smile to the stern-faced twins, and then went to the other side of the music room to have a tea party.

The week flew by, and I would lose track of time at the host club every day. One of us would look out the window and see the sun was setting, then we would all say goodbye for the day. It was so much fun not having to worry about my uncle getting mad at me.

I woke up on Saturday morning and stretched, flipping back down on the bed and remembering the fun things we did during the week.

I pushed myself out of bed and got ready for the day. I had a feast after school yesterday and ate the remaining food. I had to go to the supermarket and buy more, then I'd be able to relax.

Tamaki POV:

"No! Jo don't go with him! He's just going to hurt you!" I exclaimed, waking up from a nightmare. I dreamed that Jo's uncle came home early and went to the host club to find her. She was going to go with him, but I wouldn't let her.

I scrambled over to the phone and dialed Kyouya. I needed some information from him.

Jo POV:

I was almost home from the supermarket when I saw all the neighbors surrounding the house. Well, something in front of the house.

Just then everyone from the club got out and my shoulders slumped. I stomped over to them and heard Tamaki telling them not to say certain things so I'd ask them to leave.

"You know guys, you could have just asked to come over instead of making this huge commotion." I said, folding my arms.

"J-Jo! Hehe, we were just stopping by to-"

"Shut it Tamaki. Just hurry up and get off the sidewalk." I said, pushing past then and opening up the door.

They followed me in and I put the grocery bags on the counter.

"Make yourselves at home. I'll be right back, I have to put something -ahh!" I was going up the stairs when one of them broke, causing me to fall backwards and down the stairs. "Damnit..." I said, propping myself up on my elbows.

Tamaki and the twins were at my sides and helped me up.

"I thought I fixed all the stairs..." I said. I went into the garage and got an already cut price of plywood with a hammer and nails. I ripped the old stair out and positioned the new one, marking where the nails would go. I began to hammer it in, and heard the three idiots freaking out behind me.

I gathered the bits of the broken stair and threw them away. Then I picked up the bag of things I bought and went back up the stairs towards my room.

"You guys don't have to just stand there. Walk around, come up if you want to." I said.

I opened the door to my room and set down the bag of stuff I had bought in my suitcase. After throwing in a jacket and a hat I closed it up and put in on the floor.

I looked up to see Hikaru holding the picture of me and my parents at the park.

"That was taken about ten years ago." I said from behind him.

He flinched and hurriedly put the picture back, wanting to act like he wasn't looking at it. I giggled and said, "you can hold the picture. It's not like they don't exist or anything." I sat down on my bed and remembered my parents.

"You guys looked like a happy family." Hikaru said, hesitantly taking the picture.

"We definitely weren't a normal family, but we were happy. Mom and dad weren't around much, but I loved them more than anything." I hugged my knees and smiled.

Hikaru smiled back at me, then set the frame down gently. He sat on my bed and asked, "what happeden to make you change so much?

I turned from him and looked at the floor. "The funeral was what changed me. I was so used to seeing everybody smiling and happy, but that day, everybody's clothes were black and the cloudy sky dampened the mood too. I didn't cry. Uncle told me that crying wouldn't help, that it wouldn't bring them back. Some people took the caskets away, and all I know is their urns are in the abandoned mansion where I used to live." I hugged my knees tighter and said, "I became depressed and wouldn't talk to anybody. I wouldn't say a word because I thought no matter what I said or did nothing would change. Then, I met Yuki and Junya. Yuki pulled me out of depression and was my best friend. Three years later though I found out she was just using me. Then Junya moved away. I went back into depression and closed myself off from the world. I cut all my hair and changed from contacts to glasses. I stopped taking care of myself and hoped that nobody would talk to me. Then you guys came along. In the short time time that I've known you guys you've made me feel like I can have actual friends and people that care about me." I looked up at Hikaru and said, "I'm like you and Koaru. I have my own world that nobody else is in." I laughed a little and said, "I'm not sure if I don't know how to let people in, or if I'm scared to." I rested my chin on my knees and sighed. "I envy you, Hikaru."

"What? Why do you envy me?" He asked.

"Because you have someone to share the pain with. You have someone who understands exactly what you're going through. But me, I'm alone." My eyes met Hikaru's, and we stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Wasn't it hard not having anyone?" Hikaru asked.

My attention turned to the floor and I began to speak. "It was painful. I was in this pit of depression with no one to tell and no one to help. But, as time went on I grew used to it. I'm used to pain, to hunger, to sadness and neglect. I'm used to sitting alone in a dark room and wanting to cry, but I wouldn't because I knew it wouldn't do anything. I'm used to being in physical and emotional pain all the time. I'm used to going to bed hungry because my uncle would eat all the food. I'm used to being bullied and harassed... But I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being hated and I'm tired of being alone. I'm tired of being scared and I'm tired of being hurt, but most of all I'm tired of being sad." I looked up at Hikaru and I told him, "I'm tired of living in this hell."

Hikaru stared into my eyes for a few seconds, then he hugged me. He didn't say anything, just held me in his arms. I hugged him back and closed my eyes. Hikaru held me a little tighter and I buried my head in the crook of his neck.

Just then Tamaki poked his head into my room. "We're leaving now!" He froze when he saw Hikaru and I. He went into mega panic mode, screaming at Hikaru and trying to hit him while I held him back.

After we calmed Tamaki down and told him white lies about what we were doing, he finally got ready to go.

We arrived on a small island and were driven to a beachfront hotel. Kyouya checked us in at the front gate and was handing out room keys when I noticed a worker struggling with a pile of towels. I ran over to help her and we put the pile on a cart. I turned to see who I had helped, when a face from my past stared straight back at me.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mrs. Kia? Is it you?" I asked.

"Oh my! It's Miss Jordan! How have you been?" She asked.

"I've been better, but how have you been? I haven't seen you in six years!" I said.

"Well after what happened, I had enough extra cash and bought this place. I remodeled it and upgraded it recently, now it's the number one hotel on this island!" She said.

"That's great! It's good to know you're doing well!" I said.

Just then the door opened and I heard a familiar voice. "Mrs. Kia, I have the-" he stopped mid sentence.

I turned to see who it was, and my eyes widened.

"Jordan? Jordan Akira?" He said.

"Junya?" I said, stepping forward.

Tamaki and the twins looked back and forth between us, wondering what was going on.

"Junya!" I yelled. I ran and hugged him, causing him to drop the box he was carrying. He hugged me back and laughed a little.

Tamaki and the twins had a little episode, but I ignored them.

"Are these friends of yours?" Junya asked.

"Yeah, we're here on vacation together." I said.

"Vacation? Are you in a club together or something?" He asked.

"Take a walk with me and I'll explain everything."

We took a walk and I had told him everything about the host club. Then we returned to the hotel and sat down at a table to small talk and catch up.

"I still can't believe you it your hair!" Junya exclaimed.

"Why is it so hard to believe? You of all people would know I would do it eventually." I said.

"It's just so different. You had the longest hair in class now it's really short! Hey, do you still have Yuki's bunny?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's in my room at home." I said.

"Why do you keep that thing?" He asked.

"It's a precious memory from my childhood. Even if it does hold one painful one it still has lots of good ones." I said.

"Anyways, have you done anything interesting since middle school?"

"Besides my ambassadorships and the host club not really." I said, leaning back in my chair.

"So he's a friend from her childhood, is he?" I heard Kyouya ask.

"If he's had zero contact with her than he's not a friend, just a former classmate." Hikaru said.

I turned my attention back to Junya as he began talking again.

"So you're in a host club? How did that happen?" He asked.

"Well, I broke a vase and they won't listen to me when I tell them I can pay them back so... I'm their 'dog'." I said, slumping my shoulders.

"Dog? Well that's not very nice." Junya said.

"Jo! Even though we're on vacation you're still our dog! Get me a drink will you?" Hikaru said, holding up his glass.

"I meet up with my only real friend and you want me to get you a drink? Forget it, I'm on break." I snapped.

I looked over to see Tamaki ripping up a bunch of paper.

"Tamaki can you try not to make a mess? In the end I have to clean it up." I said.

"It's not a mess. I'm making a hamster home." He said.

"You don't have a hamster." I said.

"A man can dream!" He exclaimed.

Junya laughed and said, "These Ouran guys are funny. They come from such an elite school, I thought they'd be snobby and like in a different world."

"Trust me; they live in a world far away from us. Hikaru doesn't even know how to ring out a cloth properly." I said.

"Hey!" Hikaru yelled.

"You know, I'd heard rumors that you were going to Ouran, and I was worried that you were going to have a hard time. I'm glad to see you doing well."

I smiled and giggled, causing a faint blush to rise on his cheeks.

"What's with this guy? Is he taking the refreshing innocence line?" I heard Hikaru say.

"You're being unusually critical, aren't you?" Kyouya asked.

"I'm just saying, that guy is clearly interested in Jo." He said loudly. "It's plain as day, kind of sickening."

Junya looked down, clearly upset.

"Hikaru!" I exclaimed, standing up and slamming my hands down on the table. "You're the one being sickening!"

"No, it's okay! He's right; I did like you back in sixth grade." Junya said.

Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru's attention immediately focused on him.

I stared at him, and a forgotten memory flashed to the front of my mind.

Flashback:

"So how about it? Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Sasuke, the most popular guy in school asked me.

I turned to Junya and hoped he would object. I wanted him to protect me from this scary guy.

He smiled, and motioned for me to accept.

I turned back to Sasuke and said, "Sorry, but I don't like you. I like someone else." I said. I hugged Yuki's bunny closer and ran away, not wanting to be around either of them.

End of flashback.

That happened in sixth grade, one year after my parents had died and two years before I found out about Yuki. I had liked Junya at the time.

"You had a thing for me?" I asked, angry.

"It's embarrassing for me to admit, but yes, I did." Junya said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"If you liked me then what were you thinking when Sasuke asked me out!?" I yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Junya asked.

"What were you thinking, wanting me to accept even though you knew what he wanted me for? Why would you tell me to go out with him even though he only wanted sex? How could you not protect me!?" I screamed. I ran away from the tables and up the stairs, running away just like in sixth grade.

"Bear wait!" Junya yelled, running after me.

I stopped in my tracks. I haven't been called that since Junya moved away...

I clenched my fists and darted through the hallways, slamming my hotel room door as I reached my room.

No POV:

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru were in complete shock at this sudden turn of events. They turned their eyes from the door to Junya. He reached the door and called out to her.

"Bear open the door! Just let me talk to you!" He exclaimed.

"Go away! If you didn't care enough then you probably don't care enough now!" Jo exclaimed from behind the door.

Junya put his head against the door and began talking. "I did care. I care so much I was willing to break my own heart to let you be with another man who was man enough to ask you out. I was so afraid of stopping him and telling you how I felt because I knew you didn't like me back. I didn't want to embarrass you, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship either..."

There was silence behind the door.

"...You idiot." She whispered. "You idiot!" The threw open the door and yelled, "you think I didn't like you back!? I've liked you since second grade you idiot! And now after I'd moved on you're telling me that you said nothing because you thought I didn't like you back!?" She clenched her fists and looked away, her body trembling. "I even went so far as getting beat by my uncle every day just to go to the park after school with you. Every day for a year, until that day with Sasuke." She said. She looked back up at a shocked Junya and said, "I went through so much for you just for you to move away, but I still call you my only real friend. You left me when I needed you the most but I still can't stay mad at you. I can't help but think that I'll wake up in the morning and think it'll be okay, but it's not. It's not okay and it never will be." She clenched her fists even tighter and said, "I'm done."

Junya's eyes widened and he said, "n-no, you're not going to-"

Jo turned and ran into her room and Junya ran after her, attempting to catch her wrist but missing. There was a slam and Junya ran into the room.

"Jo! Open the door! Don't do it!"

The members of the host club began to run to the room, Tamaki and the twins leading.

There was a loud slam as Junya broke the door open. He screamed and the host club members finally reached the room. All they saw was Junya holding Jo as her wrist laid in a small pool of blood and a bloody knife on the floor.

Mori covered Honey's eyes and the twins ran to Junya's sides, ripping Jo away from him. Tamaki was screaming to call a doctor and Kyouya was fumbling to grab his cell phone.

Suddenly Junya started laughing, clutching at his sided with a red face.

"Why are you laughing!? This isn't something to laugh about!" Tamaki yelled.

All of a sudden another laugh could be heard, and everyone turned to see a smile on Jo's face. She burst out laughing and he two laughed together for quite some time.

Downstairs 5 minutes later, Jo POV:

"Yeah, we came up with it while we took a walk. It was payback for all the pranks Hikaru pulled on me and just a prank for the rest of you." I said. I was holding Honey in my arms because he started crying, and now he had calmed down. "I can't believe you guys thought we had a thing. We've been friends forever." I said.

"Yeah, there's no way I'd ever date her." Junya said.

"Shut up Junya!" I said, playfully punching his arm.

Hikaru and Koaru were sitting at the bar, excluding themselves from the conversation.

"Hikaru, what should we do? They're having a good time over there, should we join them?" Koaru asked.

"Nah, he's annoying. His highness just took him so easily. What is he, stupid?" Hikaru said.

"Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru! You guys come over too! This is a rare chance to hear some episodes from Jo's middle school days!" Tamaki said.

"I don't especially _want_ to hear about them. Or should I say, how stupid are you? I can't understand why you would get so excited over hearing stories about the past. And doesn't he get that Jo doesn't want anything to do with him?"

That made me angry. Why can't Hikaru shut his mouth and realize this is my only real friend from when I was little? I stood up from my chair and glared at Hikaru.

"Jo doesn't have any room for you in her life!" Hikaru said, not shutting up.

I walked over to where he was and he turned around to look at me.

I slapped him across the face and all eyes focused on me.

"That's not for you to decide Hikaru! If you're mean to Junya one more time, you'll answer to me!" I exclaimed.

"What is this? What do other people matter?" Hikaru whispered. He stood up and yelled, "_We're_ your friends, aren't we!?"

He stared at me for a couple of seconds, and then ran away.

"Hikaru! Wait up!" Kaoru yelled, running after him.

Tamaki looked at them as they ran up the stairs and he rubbed the back of his head. "Their world is still so small, isn't it?"

We are outside and Junya was about to take off on his bike.

"I'm sorry Junya." I said.

"It's okay. We did go a little over the top with that prank." He said.

Just then the hotel door opened behind us.

"Hika..." Honey said.

He walked up rubbing the back of his neck. "I was out of line. Sorry." He said.

"Nah, it's okay. Bye now, Bear." Junya said. With that, he took off on his bike.

"Kaoru, why are you pretending to be Hikaru?" I asked.

Kaoru stiffened up and everyone looked at him.

I grabbed his ear and asked, "What's your excuse?"

"Hikaru doesn't seem like he'll cheer up anytime soon. And so, Jo, I have a small favor to ask of you. All day tomorrow, would you go on a date with me?"

It was later that day, around five o'clock and we were all having fun in the hotel game room, except for Hikaru of course. I looked outside and saw the rain pounding against the window.

"Umm, I'm going to go to my room." I said, getting up.

"What? But we were just about to have dinner Jo! You were going to eat cake with me!" Honey said, looking up at me with sad eyes.

I heard a light rumble and said, "S-sorry Honey, b-but I'm really tired and gonna go to bed-!" I heard another light rumble and ran up to my room, grabbing a blanket off the bed and hiding in the wardrobe.

I was curled in a ball with the blanket wrapped around me for around two hours and the thunder got really loud, shaking the walls as it boomed. The lightning shone through the crack in the wardrobe doors and I trembled terribly, holding my hands over my ears and closing my eyes. In a moment of silence my door opened but I didn't hear it. The person walked around my room and called for me, but I still didn't hear them.

Just then a large boom of thunder shook the wardrobe and I made a light sound, letting the person know where I was.

The door to the wardrobe creaked and I pulled the blanket tighter around me, thinking that it was caused by the thunder.

"Jo? Why'd you lock yourself in there?" Tamaki asked.

"T-Tamaki? Umm, no reason, I just wanted to-"

A loud boom of thunder cut me off and I screamed, clapping my hands over my ears.

"It seems like it'd be scarier locked up like this." Tamaki said.

"I'm alright. I'm used to getting through stuff like this by myself." I said.

The creaking of the wardrobe stopped as Tamaki stopped trying to open them.

"By yourself?" He repeated. "You're always by yourself. All alone in your home. You never call us for help even though we're so close." Another flash of lightning flashed through the doors and the thunder boomed. "I get it." Tamaki said. He pulled open the wardrobe doors, breaking them and causing me to hug my knees tighter. "I understand now. You grew up without relying on anyone else. But not anymore." He said.

I looked up at him and he offered his hand.

"You can come out now." He said.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the room and the thunder shook the room. I jumped out to Tamaki, wrapping my arms around him and he caught me. He held me tightly and said, "You don't have to be afraid. I promise that I'll always be here for you Jo. You'll never have to be alone again."

I tightened my grip on his shirt and he stayed with me until the dark clouds blew over, leaving a peaceful silence and the moonlight shining through my window. I looked up at one of the clocks, and it said it was nine thirty.

"Thank you, Tamaki." I said.

He smiled and pulled me closer to him. "You're welcome."

He let go of me and there was a knock at the door.

"Boss, we're coming in." Kaoru said.

The door opened and everyone from the host club stood there, except Hikaru of course.

"You've been up here for an hour and a half. What were you guys doing?" Kaoru asked.

"He came to check on me, and we just started talking. I guess we lost track of time." I said.

"Oh yeah? What were you talking about?" Kaoru asked as he picked up on my lie.

"We were talking about Junya." I said.

"Oh really? What did you say?"

"I was telling Tamaki that Junya is afraid of heights. We went on a roller coaster and he got scared. He threw up right after we got on the ride, but said he'd go again." I smiled as I remembered what happened. "Anyways, it's nine thirty, I'm tired, and you guys are keeping me awake. Bye!" I shoved everyone out of my room and closed the door on them. I slid into bed and after a few minutes I fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

I opened my eyes in the early hours of the morning and threw the blanket off of me. A groan escaped my lips as I sat up and ran a hand through my short hair. I got up out of bed and moved to my suitcase, picking out an outfit for the day.

I ended up dressing a little nicely, with a tank top and skirt. I had regular tennis shoes on and brushed my top eyelashes with a little mascara, making them stand out more than they already did. My eyes were a gateway to people, an opportunity to talk to me. All conversations with strangers started with them saying, "Your eyes are so pretty," or something like that.

My eyes were a deep crystal blue with a royal purple outline, and the outline of my pupil was a rich emerald green.

That was the main reason I wore glasses, to hide them, but now I've learned to be friends with these people, and I don't need to hide from them.

After brushing my teeth and hair, I headed out to where Kaoru and I would meet up.

I had been standing for about five minutes before an embarrassed Hikaru walked up to me.

"Hikaru? Where's Kaoru?" I asked.

"He got sick, so I'm taking you out in his place." Hikaru said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And what's with that getup?" He asked as his face got redder.

"It is a date, and since it is I figured I'd dress up a little. What are we going to do?" I asked.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Hikaru asked.

"Well Kaoru said he'd escort me around, so I didn't think of anything. Do you have any ideas?" I asked.

Hikaru shook his head.

I put my hand on my chin in a thinking pose, and then snapped my fingers. "I know! How about we just walk around for awhile, and then go to the beach?"

"Whatever." Hikaru said, getting off of the bench he was sitting on.

We walked around a little, looking at different shops and seeing some cool things.

"Hey Hikaru, let's go get some of those." I said, pointing to a shop selling candies.

"Why? Shouldn't you save your money for the last day?"

"I'm getting some for Kaoru." I said, smiling.

"...How did you know I was worried about Kaoru?"

"Because. Now let's go to the beach!" I exclaimed. I grabbed his hand and hurried through the streets, dragging him along with me.

We reached the beach and I put my feet in the water. I giggled a little and threw my shoes onto the sand. I walked a little further into the water, and I motioned for Hikaru to join me.

He shook his head and I got out, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the water. I splashed him and laughed at his grumpy face.

We had been splashing around in the water for awhile when I looked up at the sky.

"Mrs. Kia told me the weather wouldn't hold... I hope it does." I said.

"Who cares about the weather?" Hikaru said, running a hand through his wet hair.

After awhile we left the beach and walked around a little more. I thought I heard a light rumble and asked, "Hikaru, did you hear something?"

"No, nothing."

"Jordan?" A voice said from behind me.

"Junya..." I said, turning to him.

"Looks like it's going to start raining soon. Are you guys heading back to the hotel?" Junya asked.

"Umm, yeah, that'd be great." I said. "Hikaru, could you get a cab?"

"A cab would be a waste of money! My mom and I could drive you." Junya said.

I definitely heard a rumble of thunder and I said, "Heh, the sooner we get to the hotel, the better!"

"Fine then! You can go back by yourself then. You two can get all chummy and talk about the past of whatever!" Hikaru yelled. He turned and ran away, causing people to dodge him in order to not get hit.

"Hikaru wait!" I yelled. "Sorry Junya, I have to get Hikaru!" With that I ran after him and didn't look back.

It had begun to rain when I came upon a fork in the road. "Hikaru? Hikaru where are you?" I yelled. There was no answer.

Just then a flash of lightning lit up the sky and I screamed. I picked the path on my right and ran, calling for Hikaru and hoping he would hear me.

I had been running around for a few minutes on a trail when the lightning really began to scare me. It looked like it would hit me at any second, and I desperately called for Hikaru.

I saw a small abandoned structure and dashed towards it, not wanting to be out in the open any longer.

I pushed open the small door, and saw that the small shack was a shielded rest area.

A loud boom of thunder sounded and I screamed, running under a small table and curling up into a ball.

"Hikaru... Hikaru where are you?" I asked.

Half an hour, gone. An hour, gone. The storm raged on, getting worse and worse as time passed.

The door creaked open.

"Jo? Jo are you in here?" Hikaru asked.

"H-Hikaru..." I stuttered, looking up from under the table. A flash of lightning illuminated the space behind Hikaru, and I curled back into a ball.

Hikaru pushed the table onto his sided and knelt down on one knee to look at me. "I'm sorry." He said.

I looked up at him and I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes. "He promised..." I whispered.

"What?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"Tamaki promised I wouldn't be alone anymore... But you left me. I was so afraid Hikaru... So afraid..."

Hikaru hugged me and said, "I'm here now, and I promise I won't leave you any time soon."

I hugged Hikaru tightly and felt something warm slide down my cheek. I touched it with my hand and was shocked to find I was crying.

I haven't cried since my parent's funeral...

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in Hikaru's shoulder, letting myself cry for the first time in six years.

Awhile after I had calmed down Hikaru spoke up.

"Why are you afraid of thunder and lightning?" He asked.

"...My parents got shocked by lightning and died. Ever since I've been so afraid that it's going to happen to me, and I imagine my parents getting shocked each time I see a rod of lightning." I hugged him a little tighter and said, "I don't like being afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll protect you." Hikaru said, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you... Hikaru."

The thunderstorm raged on into the late hours of the night, with Hikaru holding me the whole time. When the dark clouds subsided and the moonlight shone through the window, I looked up to see Hikaru with his eyes closed.

I looked back down at the floor and rested my head on his chest. "Did you fall asleep?" I asked quietly.

"...No. I'm awake."

Silence settled in the room.

"Thank you for looking for me. It... It means a lot to me." I said.

Hikaru stayed silent for a moment, but then I heard him whisper, "of course I'd look for you..."

We were silent after that once again, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Do you think we should head back to the hotel or just stay here?" I asked.

"If we stay here we'll just get colder. It'd probably be best to go to the hotel." Hikaru said, standing up.

The cold night air chilled my skin as Hikaru's warmth left me. I quickly got up and followed him as he walked out of the shack towards the hotel.

We had been walking for a few minutes when the cold really started to get to me. My clothes were still damp and there was a chilled breeze blowing through the already cold night air.

I didn't have much skin coverage with my skirt and tank top. I rubbed my hands against my arms, shivering as we walked.

Hikaru noticed and asked a stupid question. "Are you cold?"

"No, I'm just shivering because I want to." I said sarcastically.

"I was just trying to be nice." Hikaru snapped.

"...Sorry. I'm tired, cold, and hungry. Just a little bit grouchy." I said.

Hikaru untied the jacket from his waist and placed it over my shoulders.

"We're almost to the hotel. I bet everyone is worried." I said, pulling the jacket tighter around me.

Hikaru remained silent.

After a few minutes of walking in silence the hotel came into view. I didn't want to end the date on an awkward note, so I decided to speak up.

"Hikaru, thank you for taking me out. I had fun." I said. "My first date wasn't exactly what I thought it would be..." I noticed Hikaru's shoulders droop and he looked upset. "It was better."

Hikaru's eyes widened and he looked at me, surprised at my words.

I stopped walking and laughed softly. "I always imagined my first date ending terribly or just being horrible, but today... I realized something." I looked up at Hikaru and continued. "I don't need to be afraid anymore. I have people who will be there for me. I... I have friends. _Real_ friends." I grabbed his hand and said, "I'm not alone anymore, and I hope you think you aren't either." I smiled softly at Hikaru and he looked away, blushing. He gave my hand a light squeeze, letting me know he agreed with me. We walked the rest of the way to the hotel like this, hand in hand.

After a major freak out from Tamaki, we separated and went to sleep.

After a weird dream about flying chairs and magical peanut butter, I got up out of bed and took a shower. After drying off I got dressed and went downstairs into the lobby, not bothering to dry my hair. I was in a bad mood; I wasn't a morning person.

The only people in the lobby were Mori and Kyouya. Mori was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed and Kyouya was updating information of the host club. I glanced at the screen and saw he was entering my cell phone number. I glanced at the others, but quickly lost interest.

I sat down on a barstool and twirled around a little bit, trying to entertain myself.

Just then a loud scream came from Tamaki's room and he ran out still in his pajamas. He raced down the stairs calling my name, hugging me tightly as soon as he saw me.

"Oh my sweet little Jo I had a horrible dream! Are you bleeding? Dead? Possibly dating HIKARU!?" He exclaimed.

"Uhh, what's all this commotion in the morning?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked, exiting their room and trudging down the stairs.

"Tamaki, let go of me." I said, annoyed and grouchy. I pushed myself away from him and said, "Chill out. I'll be back later."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Tamaki asked.

"I'm going somewhere other than here." I snapped.

I walked out the door and heard Hikaru ask, "What's her problem?"

I had been walking for about twenty minutes and reached a secluded beach. I sat down and inhaled the scent of the sea breeze, when I felt a presence behind me. I wanted to be alone, so I got up and started walking.

The person followed me.

I had been walking for about five minutes and the person still followed me, and by now I knew it was an older man. I turned into a convenience store and be stopped outside, waiting for me to exit.

I pretended I didn't know he was there and walked around the store wondering what to do. I could make a run for it, but the guy would probably catch me...

I started to get really scared when I remembered Hikaru and Tamaki's words. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." "I'll protect you." "I promise I'll always be there for you."

I can call them for help...

I pulled out my cell phone and tried to remember one of the numbers on the screen.

After some guessing I dialed a number and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" Hikaru answered.

"Hikaru? I-I need your help." I said with a shaky voice.

"Jo? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I was taking a walk and a man started following me. Hikaru, I'm scared." I said.

"Where are you? I'm coming right now!" He said, sounding like he was getting up.

"I'm at the convenience store on 8th street. Please hurry Hikaru." I said, looking to see that the man was still there.

A few agonizing minutes passed and I had walked to the back of the store. The man was still there, just standing on the other side of the street.

Hikaru burst through the door, panting and covered in sweat.

"Hikaru!" I exclaimed, running towards him.

"Jo! You're okay!" He said, hugging me. "Now where is that man?" He asked.

"Over there." I said, pointing to him.

Hikaru put a protective arm around my shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

We walked out of the store together and I noticed Kaoru down the road.

"Did you tell everyone I needed help?" I asked.

"Yeah. We're not letting that guy touch you." He said, holding me tighter.

The man followed us, unintimidated by Hikaru. Kaoru joined us shortly, also putting an arm around me. I spotted Mori on the other side of the road with Honey at his side. The man passed them and they tailed him, going unnoticed by him.

Tamaki joined us and walked behind me. The man was still following me, looking like he wasn't going to give up.

We met up with Kyouya and he smiled. I knew that if something happened he would call his officers.

It was then I heard the man speak.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you Jordan." He said.

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Tamaki to bump into me.

"Why did you stop?" The twins whispered.

"That voice..." I whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"Didn't you guys hear him? I... I think I know him..." I said, putting a hand to my head.

"You don't remember me? It's like saying you forgot about your cousin." The man said.

"No way..." I whispered, my eyes growing wide. I stepped away from the four of them, forgetting they were there. I stomped across the street towards the man, cars flying past me and narrowly missing me.

"How dare you show your face to me." I snarled, stopping in front of him.

"Aww, don't be so cold. How would Mika feel about this?" He asked.

"Mika would want me to beat the shit out of you!" I exclaimed. "Now why are you here scum?" I spat.

"Can't I just say hello to an old friend?" He said, his facial expression trying to deceive me.

"Don't you dare call me your friend you idiotic nuisance. Now tell me what you want." I snapped, more irritated than before.

"I want to know where she is."

"As if I'd tell you." I snarled, clenching my fists.

"We'll why not tell me?" He asked.

"Because you made her life hell for three years! After she ditched your ass she moved away so you couldn't hurt her anymore. You should just learn when to give up." I said.

"Well then, if I can't have her I'll just take you." He said.

He grabbed my arm and Mori kicked him in the back of the head, causing him to pass out.

"Let's roll him I to the middle of the street." I said, crossing my arms and turning my back in anger. "Throw his ass into the lake."

"Who is this guy?" Honey asked.

"He's my cousin's ex-boyfriend. He abused her physically and mentally, so she broke up with him and moved." I said. "A little before she broke up with him he tried to molest me, but I kicked him in the balls and ran away."

"Geez Jo, what else happened in your past?" Hikaru asked.

"A lot happened, but it's the past. It's not important now." I smiled and said, "Right now we should just have fun."

After Kyouya's men arrested my cousins ex, and things calmed down quickly.

"You know what this calls for?" Tamaki asked. Before anyone replied he said, "A relaxing day at the beach!"

Nobody objected, so we all went back to the hotel and got ready for a day at the beach.


	6. Chapter 6

Hikaru POV:

We put our stuff down on the sand and everyone got ready to go into the water. Kaoru and I jumped in first, already in our trunks. Tamaki ran in next, followed by Honey and Mori.

Jo unzipped her jacket and was in a two piece, causing the color to rise in my cheeks.

"Cannonball!" She exclaimed, jumping in and causing a huge splash.

She whipped out a water gun and shot Tamaki in the face, causing him to scream and fall backwards. She laughed and got squirted by Kyouya, who pushed up his glasses triumphantly.

She was about to squirt him back but Honey stole her gun, squirting her relentlessly.

Everyone had ganged up on her and she was laughing, looking like she had a lot of fun.

Something about her having fun with all of them made me upset. I grumbled a little and got out of the water, Kaoru following me.

I looked at her and smiled. She'll get what's coming to her for ignoring me.

"Hahaha! Stop squirting me already, I give up!" she exclaimed as Honey, Mori, and Kyouya sprayed her mercilessly with squirt guns. Tamaki jumped out of the water behind her and pulled her under, soaking her from head to toe. They all were laughing and I looked towards them sourly.

"Hikaru, how about we go back in the water with them?" Kaoru suggested.

"No thanks." I snapped, turning my head to the side. Kaoru sighed and went into the water, soon joining them in the fun.

I tuned them out and began playing a video game. After a few minutes Jo screamed.

"s-someone get me a towel!" she exclaimed.

Mori ran to the shore and grabbed a towel, quickly returning and covering her with it. He carried her to shore and I could hear her crying.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru and Tamaki exclaimed.

I turned my head and saw them glaring daggers at me. They grabbed both of my arms and shoved me towards Jo, cowering under the towel.

"I'm so embarrassed... I'm just going to lock myself in my room and never come out!" She said, gripping the towel around her.

"What did I ever do to you?" she asked through her tears. "I get how you like to prank me and whatever, but why do you want to embarrass me in front of everyone?" she looked up at me with tearful eyes, the exact same look she gave me the night of the thunderstorm.

"It was just a prank. I don't know why you're crying about it." I said.

"Don't lie to me! You knew exactly what you were doing with the dissolving swimsuit trick! You wanted to embarrass me in front of everybody! I thought you were my friend Hikaru!" she exclaimed. She looked down and said, "I guess I was wrong again... Kaoru, can you take me back to the hotel? I can't be around _him_ right now." she said, standing up.

Kaoru put an arm around her shoulder and glared at me. Then he led her away without looking back.

"Geez guys, it was just a prank! Why are you all so upset about it?" I asked.

Tamaki looked at me with a fiery glare and said, "First you leave her in a thunderstorm, and now this. You should be ashamed of yourself." he turned his attention to everyone else and said, "Let's go."

"Why are you all so mad at me? All I did was prank her like I usually do!" I said.

Honey turned around and said, "Enough now Hikaru. You know what you did wrong."

Mori nodded, and then they walked away with everyone else.

I eventually left the beach, but I didn't go back to the hotel. I walked around town and thought for awhile. "I just pulled another prank on her. She has no reason to be upset. Rrg, why was she crying about it? If she just-" Suddenly I remembered something she said. "I'm scared that if I try to make friends I'll just be betrayed like I was before." Then something I said came to mind. "When she attempts to let someone into her world they disappear."

She's upset because she thinks I'm trying to humiliate her...

I clenched my fists and ran back to the hotel. I need to set things right.

I knocked on Jo's door and didn't get a reply. "I'm coming in." I said.

I opened the door and saw her curled up into a ball on her bed, a blanket over her.

"Look, I'm sorry." I said.

"Just go away." She said, turning her head away.

"What else do you want me to say? I'm seriously trying to apologize here." I said.

"I want to be left alone." She said.

"I'm not leaving until you forgive me." I said, leaning back against a wall.

"Go away!" She yelled, standing up.

"I'm not leaving until you forgive me!" I exclaimed.

She went to run away, but I grabbed both of her wrists and pinned her against the wall.

"Let me go!" She yelled.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me what I can do for you to forgive me!"

"...Why are you always so mean to me? I mean I know Kaoru pranks me too but... He'd never do that to me."

"If I tell you, will you listen?" I asked.

She nodded her head.

"...I don't know why. I just love seeing you get flustered and I think it's cute when you're mad. I want to do things to get you to notice me, and I was upset when you were ignoring me earlier today. That's why I didn't tell you what I did to your swimsuit. I was going to tell you, but when you ignored me... Something told me not to. I'm sorry." My cheeks flamed red, and so did hers.

"...I believe you. I'm sorry, Hikaru." She said.

I let her go and asked, "Why are you sorry?"

"I didn't know you were just trying to show me that I've entered your world, just like you've entered mine." She hugged me, causing my entire face to go red, and I clumsily hugged her back.

A few minutes later we let go of each other and Kaoru poked his head through the door. "We're leaving soon." Then he saw me. "Did you two make up?" He asked.

Jo nodded and hugged my side, causing my ears to go red. Kaoru laughed and I sighed. He's never going to leave me alone about this.

Half an hour later we were on a plane back home, and Jo had fallen asleep in her seat. I covered her up in a blanket and began to get sleepy myself. After awhile, I fell asleep.

Jo POV:

I woke up to find I had fallen asleep on Hikaru's shoulder, and his head rested on mine. I was still pretty tired, so I decided to stay there with my eyes closed in the sleep-like state.

A couple minutes later Hikaru woke up, and he shifted around in his seat uncomfortably. Kaoru, who was sitting next to him, asked, "Why are you blushing Hikaru? Are you embarrassed because you were cuddling with Jo?"

"I was not cuddling!" He whispered.

"Ooh, you're not yelling either. You don't want to wake her up and have her move huh?" Kaoru asked, poking at Hikaru.

Hikaru grumbled to himself and I held in laughter.

About five minutes the jet landed and Hikaru 'woke me up'. I stretched and rubbed my eyes, still sleepy. I picked up my suitcase and tugged it behind me, slumping my shoulders as I walked.

The flight was only a couple of hours, so we arrived back home at about six p.m.

"Uhh, my uncle's getting home tomorrow..." I groaned. "I'll just go to the grocery store on the way home so I don't have to hurry tomorrow." I said. I stretched once more and said, "Well, I'll see you guys on Monday." I said. I waved to them, and after going to the grocery store I crashed out on my bed.

Three uneventful weeks passed, with only a couple small pranks from the twins. I was getting requested enough to occupy me throughout the day, so I was growing closer to my quota slowly and steadily. I had managed to keep a routine going, and I hadn't been physically abused by my uncle in three weeks. He didn't even find out I went on vacation.

It was Tuesday night and I was exhausted. Today there was a ton of requests, so I had about four girls at a time. After I had make dinner I went straight up to my room and fell asleep.

Hikaru POV:

"Haha! No! No Honey, stop tickling me! I-I can't breathe! Ahaha!" Jo yelled as she squirmed on the floor. Honey had found her tickle spot and now tickled her mercilessly. She was really ticklish on her sides. Honey finally let go of her and she sat up with a red face. "Aah, I don't think I'll be able to laugh for another week!" she said, standing up. "I need a drink." she grabbed a nearby teacup and Kaoru and I smiled. She took a sip and froze.

We appeared at her sides and I asked, "Is something wrong with your tea?"

Her face became even redder as she debated spitting out the tea or swallowing it, eventually choosing the latter. She set the teacup down and put a hand to her throat. She coughed, then coughed again, and coughed once more. After having a little coughing fit she cleared her throat and said hoarsely, "No, the tea tastes fine."

"Are you sure?" Kaoru asked. "Do you want some water instead?" I asked, offering a bottle to her.

She coughed again and said, "No thanks. I'm fine."

Kaoru and I laughed as her brow creased and she tried to swallow. She had another coughing fit and we could tell she was trying not to get mad.

"What kind of tea is that?" she asked.

"It's just Tabasco tea." Kaoru said.

"Tabasco..." Jo repeated. She cleared her throat once more and blinked a couple times. "I know there's something besides Tabasco in there." she said.

"You're right. There's also Habanero powder in it." I said, sliding in next to her and putting my hand on her side.

"That explains it..." she said. She cleared her throat again and asked, "How did you guys come up with it?"

"We know this girl, and she likes tea. So we thought we should make a special kind for her." Kaoru said.

"How nice. I'm sure that once she tastes it she's only going to hate you for the rest of her life."

"I wouldn't count on it. She likes us too much." I replied.

Jo laughed at me and walked away.

"Jo!" Tamaki yelled.

"What?" she replied.

"I need your help! I need to know what girls like!" he exclaimed.

"And you're asking me this?" Jo said.

"Hurry!" Tamaki yelled, pulling Jo along with him. He put two candles in front of her and asked, "Which one would a girl like better?"

"Peppermint and Lemon... Tamaki, both of these are terrible scents. I suggest a vanilla scent. It's rare, and it smells really good." she pushed the two candles away from her and said, "You know what, I saw these really cool candles at the store the other day that smelled like cupcakes and blueberry muffins. I'll get some and bring them to you guys."

"Do they have cake candles too?" Honey asked her with sparking eyes.

"Yeah, probably." she said.

Honey's eyes grew wide and he smiled. "Yaaaaaay! Cake candles!" he yelled as he ran around the room.

Jo laughed as she watched him excitedly bounce around the room. "Hey Hikaru, Kaoru, I should let you know that the Tabasco tea is kind of bland. It needs more than two flavors. It needs something to help the two flavors mix." She said. She winked at us and said, "It'll help you impress your lady friend."

She turned to Kyouya who started talking about art.

"She certainly knows how to keep us guessing." Kaoru said.

"That's what makes her fun to mess with." I replied. "What's the point of playing the game if you know how it's going to end?"

Kaoru and I looked at the girl who was now playing tag with Honey. She certainly did keep us guessing.

Jo POV:

"Aah! Hikaru stop! Ahaha! I'm going to punch you if you don't stop tickling me! Hahaha!" I exclaimed.

This time Hikaru decided it would be funny to tickle me instead of Honey. He had been tickling me for two agonizing minutes, not letting me go for a second.

I found an opening and stood up, but before I could run away Hikaru had his arms around me from behind.

"You're not getting away that easily." He whispered into my ear.

Color rose in my cheeks and I squirmed. "L-let me go!" I stuttered.

"Why are you stuttering? Are you embarrassed?" He whispered.

"N-no, I-I just, umm..."

"Caught you." He said.

He let go of me and I hurried away, almost jumping out of his arms. This guy's unpredictable. I can never guess what he's going to do next. But, that's the fun of playing the game, right?

I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost five o'clock. "I'm leaving now. Bye." I grabbed my backpack and was out the door, heading home to make dinner.

I quietly opened the door and began to cook, making my uncle's favorite Wednesday dinner, a hamburger steak. Once it was finished I put it on a plate and gave it to him, along with some side dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy, French fries, and a beer.

I went upstairs into my room, and after listening to music for a few hours I fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I gasped as I shot upright in my bed. I took a few minutes to reflect upon it and catch my breath. It started as me as a young child, about two. A woman, strangely familiar and badly beaten picked me up as she was running out of an eerily familiar house. She ran to a cabin in the woods, which was also familiar. She stroked my hair and said, "No matter what happens, I always want you to remember I love you." the woman looked like she was about to cry when footsteps could be heard outside the cabin. She hid me in a small cabinet, when I said something.

"Mommy, what are we doing?"

"We're running away. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you'll be a good girl, okay?"

"Yes mommy."

The woman turned away and the door fell on the ground, revealing my father with a shotgun in his hands.

"Damnit woman, what are you trying to do this time?" he snarled.

"I was just coming to get some things. Please dear, put the gun away." she pleaded.

"Where's my daughter?" he asked.

"She's at home in bed. Please dear, just go home and I'll make dinner for you."

Just then another woman walked into the cabin. It was my mom. Well, I think it's my mom...

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" the woman asked.

"You didn't tell her yet?" my mother asked, holding on to my dad's arm.

"Aah, slipped my mind. Kyomi, I'm divorcing you and marrying Hinata." he said. "But I'm keeping Jordan. You are not to have any contact with her. Hinata is to be her mother."

"What? You expect me to let you have my daughter?" the woman asked, stomping her foot on the ground.

My father slapped her across the face and she fell to the ground. "You are being deported to Paris and will be unable to enter this country. You will be living in our summer home there, where you will be under close watch. I expect the divorce papers to be signed by Saturday morning. Until then you will be under constant surveillance, so running away is pointless. Goodbye, Kyomi." My father walked away with my mom, and two guards picked up the woman by her arms. They dragged her away and I crawled out of the cabinet. The woman looked at me, and then mouthed the words, 'I love you.'

That dream felt so real... I pulled out my phone and researched my father, and sure enough it said he had been married to a woman named Kyomi, but divorced her two years after I was born.

"This has to be a coincidence..." I told myself, putting my phone to sleep.

I got ready for school and spent the day spacing out, not really laying attention to anyone when they talked to me.

I entered the host club after school and was spaced out, bumping into chairs and people, apologizing and moving on.

"What's wrong with Jo?" Tamaki asked.

"We don't know. She's been like that all day." The twins said.

"Jo!" Tamaki exclaimed, appearing in front of me and slapping his hands on my shoulders.

I screamed and jumped back, getting startled by him. I hit Mori who was holding a tea tray. The scalding hot liquid spilled all over my back and teacups fell to the floor, causing everyone to look at me.

"I... I'm sorry... I... I..." I didn't know what to say and I felt tears filling my eyes. I clenched my fists and ran out of the room, wanting to be anywhere but where I was.

Just before I exited the room Hikaru grabbed my wrist, preventing me from going anywhere.

"Let me go!" I exclaimed, trying to rip free of his grasp.

"No! I'm not going to let you go and cry in a classroom by yourself!" He exclaimed.

I stopped struggling against him and stood in the doorway. All eyes were on me, and I whispered my words just loud enough to be heard but quiet enough to miss.

"Everything is wrong..." I said.

"What happened?" Hikaru asked calmly, keeping a firm grasp on my wrist in case I tried to run away.

"Everyone lied... None of its true..." I felt Hikaru's grip soften on my wrist. "He was nothing but an abusive, cheating liar until the day he died!" I yelled. I ripped free of Hikaru's grasp and sprinted to the rooftop. I knew they would search the classrooms first, so I would have plenty of time up there by myself.

After about half an hour I stopped crying and was just sitting there, hugging my legs as my chin rested on my knees.

"Deported... That must have been-" I stopped. "Paris... Paris! That's it!" I exclaimed. I got up and ran to the host club, and before anybody could even talk to me I was back out the door running towards home.

I silently made my way up the stairs and into my room, opening my drawer and taking out my Paris envelope.

"Nineteen thousand, nine hundred and eighty, twenty thousand!" I exclaimed. I threw all of my stuff into a suitcase and bought plane tickets, the earliest departure tomorrow at five.

"Great, I can go to school, tell everyone at the host club, and then grab my suitcase and go! Perfect!" I quickly made my uncle's dinner and went to bed, excited for the next day.

As soon as the bell rang for classes to end I was out the door and sprinting towards the host club. I burst through the doors and said, "Everyone! I have big news!" I exclaimed.

Everyone turned to me, and before they could say anything I started talking.

"I'm going to Paris! I finally saved enough money, and now I can go and find out the truth! Bye!" I turned and ran into somebody, who turned out to be Hikaru.

"Where do you think you're going?" The twins asked.

"I'm going to find out the truth. I'll see you sometime later. Now bye!" I said, going around them.

Both of them caught my wrists and held me, not letting me go anywhere.

"What are you idiots doing? Let me go!" I exclaimed, struggling fiercely to get away. "I'm going to miss my flight! This is my only chance!"

They pulled me into the room and threw me in a chair, surrounding me so I couldn't go anywhere.

"How could you think we'd let you go to Paris... Without us!?" Tamaki asked.

"Look, I don't care if you guys come but if you want to go then we need to go _now_." I said, getting up and dragging Tamaki along with me.

"Woohoo! A trip with Jo!" Honey exclaimed.

After a silent stop at my house we headed towards the airport. Tamaki had gotten a car and Kyouya refunded my tickets, getting us a private jet.

Once we were on the plane I realized how I had just rushed into things. Am I seriously going to Paris because of a dream? I really caused that scene at the club because of it?

I began pacing around inside the spacious jet and Hikaru asked me a question.

"So why are you suddenly going to Paris?"

I stopped my pacing. I took a deep breath and started talking really fast. "Well-I-had-this-dream-about-my-dad-cheating-on-th is-lady-he-was-married-to-and-this-lady-in-the-dre am-she-was-my-_real_-mom-instead-of-the-lady-I-think-my-mom-is-and-in- the-dream-my-dad-said-she-was-being-deported-to-Pa ris-to-live-in-a-summer-home-and-I-did-some-resear ch-and-found-out-my-dad-was-divorced-to-this-lady- who-had-the-same-name-as-the-lady-in-my-dream-so-I 'm-going-to-Paris-to-find-out-if-my-dad-really-was -a-cheating-liar-and-if-my-real-mom-may-still-be-a live."

There was silence for a few seconds as I caught my breath.

"So you're going to Paris because of a dream?" Kaoru asked blankly.

"Yeah, pretty much. I just realized how stupid it is myself, but it's too late now." I said, looking out at the ocean.

It was five a.m. our time when we got out of the airport, and because all of these guys are wusses I had to sit in a hotel for hours because they were still tired even though they slept on the plane.

I leaned my head on the wall and waited for them. It was hours before they were all up and ready to go.

We hopped over the fence undetected and snuck into the mansion.

"Okay, split up and look for my mom. If we come up empty-handed then my dream was just a dream, but if you find her alert everyone else." I said.

Everyone nodded their heads and we split up.

I checked about twenty doors when I saw a lavish one with the words "Do not enter."

I opened it and the woman from my dream turned to look at me. Her eyes went wide with shock and her face turned pale.

"Jordan? I-is that you?" She asked.

"...Mom?" I felt overwhelmed with emotion and was about to run and hug her when a bunch of men in black appeared.

"Guys! Come quick!" I exclaimed.

"Daughter has entered the building. I repeat, daughter has entered the building. All available soldiers to Kyomi's quarters." One of the soldiers said.

I ran over to my mom and put her behind me, protecting her from the men.

"Don't worry mom, we're going to get out of this together." I said.

Just then Mori and Honey appeared. They began fighting officers and I stood my ground.

Everyone else appeared within a couple of minutes, but we were badly outnumbered.

There was a ring of men around me, but I wasn't going to let them touch my mother.

One of the men took out a gun and pointed it at me. "Move out of the way or I'll shoot." He said.

I didn't move.

He put his finger on the trigger, and my mom spoke up from behind me.

"Jordan, it's okay. I'll be fine." She said.

"No, I finally found you, and I'm not going to lose you again."

Time slowed down and the man pulled the trigger. Mori pushed him in attempt to stop him, but it was too late. All heads turned towards me and I watched the bullet glide through the air towards me.

It got closer when I felt a pair of hands on my back. I was shoved out of the way and the bullet passed me. As I hit the ground time sped up, returning back to normal.

I heard a small thud beside me, and saw my mother on the ground, blood seeping out of her chest.

"No..." I whispered. "No!" I screamed.

The officer with the gun pulled his mask off, and I looked into the eyes of my father.

"Haha, I should've just done that fourteen years ago." He said.

"How dare you... HOW DARE YOU!" I exclaimed. I pulled a sword off the wall and stabbed him with it, sending it straight through him.

The top half of his body slid onto the ground, and I stared at my hands. They were covered in blood, and all eyes were on me. I looked up into the eyes of my friends, and they were filled with... fear. My friends... My friends are scared of me...

The sword slipped out of my hands and I fell to my knees. I just murdered my own father...

Tears began to fall down my face and I cried. I cried for my mother, for the fact that I killed my own father, and I cried for myself. I cried because I had been lied to my whole life. I cried for my own situation. One parent killed the other, and I killed the only one I had left.

Wait... My father was already dead... How...?

My eyes snapped open and I saw the twins in front of me.

It... It was a dream...

Tears of relief flooded my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and pulled myself together.

Everyone else gathered in the lobby, and we left the hotel at 11 a.m. Paris time. After a quick breakfast, we headed to the Akira's old summer home.

I pressed the button on the intercom and said, "Hello. My name is Jordan; I made an appointment with Maya Ishigami yesterday."

After a few seconds a cheery voice on the other side answered. "Oh, hello Miss Jordan! I see you have brought company..."

"Don't mind them. They are my personal guards. I received a threat recently, so now I go nowhere without them." I replied.

"Oh, well then that explains it. Please, come inside." The woman said.

The gate opened and I went inside, followed by the club.

The woman met me at the door and offered to lead me to the office, but I refused saying I could find it on my own. She left, and I whispered to the group.

"Okay, I need us to all stick together. Do not wander off on your own or you will have hell to pay, personally delivered by me." I snapped. I turned my back on them, and let memory take over.

I walked up a staircase and down a hallway to come face to face with a lavish door. On it were the words "Do not enter."

I opened the door.

It was unlocked.

I stepped in the room hesitantly, afraid of what I might find. I looked to see a woman sitting on a bed, staring out a window.

"Just leave it on the table. Thank you." She said.

I looked at the table in the room and saw empty plates. She thought I was someone bringing her food.

"Kyomi Akira?" I called, wanting to know if it really was her.

She turned and my eyes widened in shock. She looked exactly like the woman in my dream, but a little older. Her eyes widened and she called my name.

"Jordan? Is that really you?" She asked. She got up off of the bed and walked towards me. She stopped about a couple of feet in front of me, and then reached out to touch my face. "My how you've grown... I missed you so much." She said.

I hugged her and said, "I missed you too Mom." I let go of her and said, "We're getting you out of here."

"But, your father-"

"Isn't around anymore. I'm the only Akira around, so what I say, goes."

"But Jordan, revealing yourself as an Akira will open you to threats and danger-"

"Don't worry mom. I've been through worse." I said. I grabbed her hand and walked out of the room with her. The host club followed us, and we soon approached a group of guards.

"Hey, why is she out of her room?" One of them asked.

"She is to be released." I said, squeezing her hand.

"And who are you to say so?" The biggest of the guards asked.

"Jordan Akira." I said, unafraid of him.

"J-Jordan Akira!? B-but Mr. Akira-"

"Isn't around anymore. I'm the only Akira around here, so your orders come from me. So right now, I'm ordering you to release my mother." I snarled.

The men let us pass, and when we reached the gates they were opened with no trouble.

"So mom, you've been in Paris 14 years. Let's go experience it!" I exclaimed.

The guys took us on a tour of the city, showing us the highlights of the city and sights no one else got to see. We also did the typical tourist things, but they were still fun. By the end of the day, everyone was tired and as soon as we reached our hotel rooms we fell onto our beds and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up on the couch in my room and saw a figure lying in my bed. I sleepily went over, and upon seeing her face I remembered what happened yesterday.

I smiled and quietly exited the room, leaving a note to say I would be at breakfast. I went down to the lobby only to see Tamaki pacing around.

"Tamaki, what's wrong?" I asked.

He stopped his pacing to look up at me. His face got really red and he looked down, mumbling to himself.

"Tch. I'm going to get breakfast." I said.

"No!" Tamaki yelled, jumping and grabbing my arm. "Don't go in there! I beg of you!" He yelled.

"Why?" I asked.

His face got red again and he stuttered, "B-because, umm..."

I opened the door to the dining room and saw streamers, glitter, banners, and cake everywhere, with the host club tangled in the middle of it.

"What, are you guys doing?" I asked. I pushed open the door a little more, and a huge bucket of glitter fell on top of me.

"...ouch." I said, taking the bucket off of my head. I shook my head and caused an enormous pile of glitter to fell to the floor.

"Umm, we were just... Umm," Kaoru tried to explain.

I looked around at the decorations and after seeing a giant banner I knew what was going on.

"Are you guys throwing a party for me and my mom?" I asked.

Their faces turned red and they said, "Yes..."

"What happened in here?" A voice rang out from behind me. I turned around and saw my mom.

"Oh, hi mom." I said.

Everyone flinched and hurriedly tried cleaning up the room, just getting each other more tangled up.

My mom laughed and I told her they were throwing a party. She suggested going out for awhile so they could set up. I agreed, and after getting the seemingly infinite amount of glitter out of my hair and off of my clothes, we walked the streets of Paris.

We mostly talked, getting to know each other and bonding as mother and daughter, but after awhile my mother asked the question I had been dreading most.

"So what happened after your father died?"

"...Mom, I'm going to be completely honest with you. After dad died I moved in with Uncle Ron, and he's been abusing me physically and emotionally for six years."

My mother's eyes widened, then she put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Not anymore. Now that I'm here, you're going to live with me. I have a chunk of your father's money from the divorce, so we can buy a house and live together."

"That would be a lot better than my situation right now. Thanks mom."

Just then my cell phone rang, and it was Tamaki calling to say that they had finished setting up.

We walked slowly back to the hotel, taking our time wrapping up the conversation.

I opened the door to the dining room once more and saw they decorated it beautifully.

"Wow... You guys _can_ do things without making a complete mess." I said. I took a step, and ate my own words. I slipped on a banana peel and smacked my chin on the ground, making my head spin. "...Ouch."

Hikaru and Kaoru helped me up, lifting me by my arms.

"Why is there always banana peels everywhere? I see them around the host club all the time and have to clean them up so nobody slips. It's annoying." I said.

We eventually got the party started and had a huge cake war, thanks to Hikaru's smart mouth. After a quick clean up we told funny stories about the past, over exaggerating and turning them into tall tales. About an hour later we packed our stuff, getting ready for the flight home.

I sat next to my mother on the plane, talking to her and listening to her stories.

Less than twenty minutes into the flight I started pacing around.

"What's wrong?" the twins asked me.

"My uncle. As soon as I get there he's going to kill me, and I don't know how he'll react to my mom. I could just not go back, but then that means we'll be on the streets until we find a place to live _and_ I'll have to replace all of my stuff. Well, what can be replaced. Maybe-"

"You know you could just stay with us until you guys find a place." the twins suggested.

"NO! THERE IS NO WAY I'D LET MY LITTLE GIRL BE WITH YOU TWO READHEADED DOPPLEGANGERS ALONE!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Actually, that would be a good idea. My mom and I would be safe from my uncle and we'd have a place to stay until we get our own house. Is that okay with you, mom?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm okay with that." my mother said.

Tamaki melted into a puddle of despair on the floor, but we ignored him as we discussed the details.

"I can just wait until my uncle goes to sleep and then get all of my stuff. Mom and I can go house hunting during the day, and once we find a house we just have to let you guys know right?"

"Sounds good."

We landed at the airport hours later, and my mother and I went with the Hitatciin twins to their house, er... Mansion.

Their house was about the same size as the summer home, but it was much better taken care of and had a modern style instead of a palace type feeling.

We settled into our room, and the next day we got down to business. We set a court date and started house hunting, finding a few candidates within a few days. I had even taken all of my stuff from my uncle's house without being detected. About a week later the court meeting came up, and I braced myself to face my uncle.

I hurried to the court room so he couldn't find me alone. After about fifteen minutes my uncle walked through the door... With his best friend as his lawyer.

His eyes locked with mine, and a smirk formed on his lips. A chill went down my spine, but I forced myself not to be scared and gave him an icy glare.

He stopped beside me and said, "When you get home I'll be expecting a feast... If you can still move." He chuckled chillingly and sat down at his bench.

A couple minutes later my mom walked in with- "Kyouya?"

My mom sat down beside me and I asked, "Kyouya, what are you doing here?"

He smiled and pushed his glasses up. "I'm your lawyer."

"But-"

Just then the rest of the host club came in, and I facepalmed.

"This is going to be a disaster..." I said to myself.

After threatening everyone to be silent or I'm going to ignore them for the rest of their lives, the judge walked in and we began.

About half an hour later, Hikaru and Kaoru were holding Tamaki down as my uncle persuaded the jury with false words and fake sympathy.

"To verify what you have been saying, please call a witness to the stand." The judge said.

My uncle pointed to me and said, "I call Jordan to the stand!"

Kyouya's eyes widened and he hurriedly shuffled through papers. My mother patted my back and said, "Do what you think is right."

I gulped and went to the stand, passing my uncle and seeing the glint in his eye. I swore on the bible I'd say nothing but the truth, then took a seat.

"Mister Ron, please proceed."

My uncle smiled and looked at me. "Now Jordan, you've lived with me for six years. You know better than anybody that I've taken care of you, right?" He had that look in his eye. He was trying to manipulate me.

I stood in the witness booth, terrified at my chance to speak. Minutes passed, and the entire room awaited my answer.

"Miss, answer the question." The judge said, snapping me out of my daze.

"...He's lying." I whispered.

There was a slight murmur in the room. They didn't hear me.

"He's lying!" I yelled, slamming my hands down.

There was a shocked silence in the room. I looked at my uncle, and he looked at me threateningly. I then looked at my mom and the host club. My eyes moved from Kyouya to Mori, from Honey to Tamaki, then at Kaoru and finally resting on Hikaru.

'Go on.'

I clenched my fists and tears stung at the corners of my eyes. "He's done nothing but lie to you! He's been abusing me mentally and physically for six years, using me as a slave and forcing me to do his bidding!" I exclaimed. The tears slid down my cheeks and I clenched my teeth, wanting to say more but not knowing how to say it.

"You stupid girl!" My uncle yelled, pouncing at me and punching my jaw.

I flew back and slammed against the wall, causing books and the flag to fall on top of me.

Three security guards restrained him and I spoke again.

"Please... Please don't make me go back to that... I beg of you..."

One of the security guards helped me up and I cursed myself for crying. But... Now I couldn't stop.

"Please... I don't want to be hurt anymore..." I clenched my fists and ran to my mother, hugging her and bawling my eyes out, reliving the memories of six years of ruthless abuse.

The ruling was made and my mother won custody of me, I got a restraining order against my uncle and he was thrown behind bars for six years. All I can hope is that he bends over to pick up the soap.

We had moved in to our home and unpacked, building all the furniture after painting the walls and a few repairs. Now all that was left was to stock up.

"Mom, I'm going to the supermarket. I'll see you later!" I said, walking out the door.

I had been walking around filling my bags when I saw that some spices were on sale. I went to reach for one when I bumped someone's hand.

I turned and saw someone from middle school.

"Haruhi?" I asked.

"Jordan?" she asked at the same time.

"Wow Haruhi, I didn't know you lived around here." I said.

"Neither did I! I thought you lived with your uncle." Haruhi said.

"Well... It's a long story, but I'm living with someone else now." I said.

"Really? Well then I won't be nosy. How come you're not at Higashi High?"

"Well, I got into Ouran." I said.

"So you were the one... Good for you! What's it like there?"

Haruhi and I began shopping together. We were rivals back in middle school, always trying to one up each other.

"So how's Arai?" I asked.

Haruhi blushed and said, "We started going out last week."

"What!? I knew it! I knew this would happen!" I said. "Haruhi and Arai, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~! Oh, Haruhi guess what!"

"What?"

"I saw Junya awhile ago! He's exactly the same as he was in grade school!"

"Really? Well, it's expected. Oh, I forgot! I have some chores to do, so I gotta run. It was nice seeing you Jordan!" Haruhi exclaimed, heading to the checkout.

"Bye Haruhi!"

After getting a couple more things I checked out and went home.

That next week at the club I was heavily requested, surrounded by girls wanting to hear the story of how I found my mother.

After awhile the host club closed and Tamaki made an announcement.

"I have an idea! I'm sure we have our share of anime loving girls in this school, so starting tomorrow, we cosplay!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Oh god...

"And Jo shall cosplay as a female character! We shall give the excuse that 'Joe' wanted to spend time with his mother!"

"What?" I asked, annoyed. "Tch. Who am I cosplaying as?" I asked.

"Hatsune Miku!"

"Hatsune Miku isn't even anime! I'm not cosplaying as her. I have someone else in mind." I said.

"Who?" The twins asked.

"Natsuno Kirihime!" I exclaimed.

They looked at me, confused

"From Dog and Scissors? Geez, you guys want to do a cosplay week and don't even know Natsuno Kirihime..." I mumbled.

Everyone picked their characters and I was surprised with the outcome.

Hikaru and Kaoru were Syuri and Syusuke from _Myself; Yourself_, Kaoru being Syuri and Hikaru being Syusuke. At first it puzzled me that Kaoru was a female character, but it worked because they could still pull off the taboo twin relationship act.

Honey and Mori were Maria and Ren from _Skip Beat!_, Honey being Maria and Mori being Ren. I found it strange that Honey was a female character also, but soon found out it suited his 'Boy Lolita' persona quite well.

Kyouya was Yamato Kurosawa from _Say, "I love you."_ That really surprised me. He would have to be nice for once.

Tamaki's cosplay surprised me the least. He was Kei Takishima from _Special A_. A 'perfect' person.

I was straightening out my clothes in the changing room when I looked at my reflection. This was going to be fun; I get to threaten people with scissors all day for the next week.

The doors opened and we did the 'Welcome.' thing, and as soon as girls saw us they screamed and crowded the tables.

It was like being in a different host club; everyone was acting their characters flawlessly.

"Natsuno! Come here for a second!" Kei called.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"These ladies were wondering where your dog was." He said.

"The mongrel? He's at home, probably reading his books instead of paying attention to me. At least I have Hasajiro." I said, taking out the scissors.

"Natsuno! Come sit with us!" Syuri called, patting the seat next to her.

I sat down and asked, "What did you call me over for?"

"Can't we just talk to each other?" Syusuke asked.

I twirled Hasajiro in my hand and said, "I don't have time for talking. I should probably be writing about now." I said.

"Ooh, are you writing 'Lust' yet? I want to read it so bad!" Syuri exclaimed.

"Really? Well I'm glad you read my books. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to write."

The week carried on like this, but there were a few interesting things that happened. Kei and I had a fight, but of course Hasajiro and I beat him. To ensure his defeat had a lasting effect, I called him, "Mr. Rank Two."

I cut up the twins (not literally) for reading my manuscript without permission, and they didn't go anywhere near them again.

Maria and I got along really well. We could talk for hours and hours about anything. Ren and I didn't quite click.

Kei and I were constantly battling it out. He tried beating me in a writing contest but failed miserably.

Yamato was too normal for me. It isn't a bad thing but... It's just too strange to have a normal person around here. I would try to pick fights with him but he would be all nice about it, and that just made me even angrier. Even when he's nice he's irritating...

The last few days though, _they _were the most interesting.


	9. Chapter 9

News that there was a real female in the host club spread throughout the school, and guys started coming to the club! Left and right I was getting requested, always entertaining the guys.

"So Natsuno, who are you really? Do you go to this school?" One of the guys asked.

"Yeah, I go here." I said, pretending to be busy with writing.

"Then who are you? I would love to take you on a date sometime."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I said flatly.

"Aww, come on. It could be fun." The guy said, coming towards me.

I sliced him with Hasajiro, causing his uniform to tear. "I said no!" I snarled.

"Just go with me. It'll be fun." He said, still coming towards me.

I was about to slice him again, but I noticed he had Hasajiro in his hand. I panicked a little, backing up as he came closer to me. My back hit the wall, and I gasped.

"Come on. Why not go?" He asked. He grabbed my wrist, and panic set in.

"Syusuke help me!" I screamed.

A couple seconds later Ren tackled the guy and I ran over to Syusuke, hugging him.

Ren had the guy pinned on the ground, and Kei looked over him.

"I care too much about the safety of my members to allow you to remain a customer here. I have to ask you to leave." He said.

Ren let the guy to and he said, "Whatever, she's hideous anyways."

Hideous... A word that ripped me to the core.

Flashback:

"How does she even have friends? She's hideous!"

"Jordan? No way! She's hideous!"

"I don't think she'll ever have a boyfriend. Nobody would ever date someone as hideous as her."

End of flashback.

I clenched my fists when I noticed the guy left Hasajiro on the ground. I gently picked him up and whispered to myself, "As hideous as I am... There has to be someone that can love me, right?"

The Host Club closed shortly after, and I changed back into my uniform. I looked at the mirror in the changing room and whispered to myself, "So hideous I'm mistaken as a boy... How can anybody love me?"

Later that day we were outside playing hide and seek. I had run really far, so now I was just walking around. I noticed someone sitting down with an injured sparrow in their hands.

"What happened to your sparrow?" I asked.

"He got hurt and fell down here. I took him to a vet, and they said he should be okay soon."

"That's good to know. Can I feed him?"

"Sure."

I put the bird in my hands and gently stroked his head with my fingertip, my expression softening into a kind and caring one. "Poor little guy. I hope he's all better soon." I said gently.

I looked from the bird to the person who was holding him. 'Oh my.' I said in my head. He was _really_ attractive. He had teal eyes, black hair, with a gentlemanly and kind aura.

I quickly turned my attention back to the bird. I met this boy once before.

Flashback:

It was the day after my uncle had slapped me. I was walking to the Host Club with my head down, not wanting anyone to see it.

My shoulder bumped someone else's and I turned to say sorry, but there was no floor there. I was about to fall down the stairs, but someone grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

When I was stable on the ground, I looked to see who had helped me. It was this boy.

End of Flashback.

That time I ran away. I was still afraid of people, but I'm not anymore.

"I know you." He said, standing up. "You're the guy that almost fell down the stairs."

Guy...

Just then I heard some rustling in the bushes, but I figured it was the wind.

"Yeah... Thanks for helping me." I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

Just then the bushes rustled again, and something flew out of them.

I jumped and pushed the boy out of the way just in time, but I couldn't move fast enough and got hit in the chest. I flew back a little and skidded on the ground, damaging the stitching on my uniform.

"...Ouch." I mumbled, sitting up. My uniform was stained red, like I had bleed out from my chest.

"AAH! JO! NO!" I heard Tamaki scream.

I was immediately embraced and heard Tamaki crying about how the good die young.

I pushed his face away and said, "Get off me."

"Are you ok?" The guy asked, offering a hand.

I was about to take it, but the twins blocked my way and helped me up instead.

"Am I the last one found?" I asked.

"Yeah." Mori said from behind me.

I flinched at the surprise but quickly recovered. I pushed the twins to either side of me and asked, "Are you okay? Whatever that was flew at you."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied.

I looked down at my red stained uniform and said, "I'm going to change." I walked away from the group and went into the prep room just in case someone walked in.

I had washed the paint off of my hands and face, so I began to change. I was about to put my tank top on, when the door opened.

"Hey, thanks for-"

I turned to see who it was, and saw it was the guy from earlier. I quickly turned my back and covered myself, face getting redder by the second.

"S-sorry!" He exclaimed, closing the door.

"You saw!" I heard the twins say from the other side of the door.

Uh-oh! They're going to kill him!

"Did you see? Did you look Saeki?" They asked.

"I-I didn't look! No! I didn't get a glance! No, I did see what I saw but... I wasn't looking!" He exclaimed.

"I think people who can't make up their mind are scum." Honey said darkly.

"...So Jo is really a girl?" Saeki asked.

"He appears to have learned Jo's secret." Kaoru said.

"Well that's no good." Hikaru replied.

"How much did you see?" Kaoru asked.

"How much of Jo's soft, maiden skin, unknown to us, did you see?" Hikaru asked.

"Well, she was changing; I saw her in her underwear." Saeki said.

"You saw Jo in her underwear!?" The twins exclaimed.

"What do we do?" Kaoru asked angrily.

"There's two ways to go about it. First thing we have to do is clobber him, and make him lose his memory." Hikaru replied.

"Now, now, stop that. It's a lot of trouble to cover up a crime." Kyouya said.

"Kyouya, how can you be so calm?" Hikaru asked.

"Look, his highness is in suck great shock, he's made a husk of himself." Kaoru said.

"Well, not that the secret is out, we'll have to discuss this. Saeki, Jo is hiding the fact that she is a girl due to certain circumstances. We have no right to make you keep quiet about this. However, would you remember this much? Being a son from one of those sorts of families, you must have heard a number of rumors. If you make enemies of the Otori family, the Otori private police, known in this country's financial circles as the Black Onion Squad, will be mobilized. Such a situation as that... Of course, we'd like to avoid, right?"

"Hold on, quit scaring Saeki. It was an accident. Besides, I don't care if he tells others. It doesn't matter to me if people come to know me as a girl."

"Oh my. This is interesting." Kyouya said in front of his laptop.

"What?" The twins and I asked in unison.

"Turns out, Jo and Saeki already knew each other. The Kyoko and Akira families were close." Kyouya said.

"Akira? Does that mean that you're Jordan Akira?" Saeki asked.

"Yeah..." I mumbled. I was trying to remember how I knew Saeki; Kyouya's information was never wrong.

"Oh wow, what's it been? Ten years since we've seen each other?"

So it was when I was six... "Wait... You're the boy who comforted me when I was crying about my parents, and later, I found out our dads had planned-!"

"An arranged marriage." Kyouya finished for me.

"WHAT!?" Tamaki and the twins exclaimed.

"Arranged marriage... Of course Father would do that to me. Not even letting me choose who to spend my life with..." I clenched my fists and said, "Well you're not around anymore dad. Your rules no longer apply." A smile spread on my face and I said, "Saeki, tell your dad that my father's suggestion is off. The marriage is cancelled."

"R-really? Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Saeki asked.

"Yes. I'm going to marry who I want to marry, not someone my father wants me to."

"Thank you... Thank you!" Saeki exclaimed. He ran out of the room and I heard him calling a girl's name.

A soft smile spread on my face and I said, "Go with your heart. Be happy, Saeki." I clapped my hands together and said, "Well, this has been a very eventful Friday. Now, how about we go finish our game?" I looked and saw Tamaki and the twins frozen in shock with no color at all. "Come on guys, just because I was unknowingly engaged for ten years because of my idiot father is no reason not to finish the game! Now let's go!" I slapped their backs to snap them out of it, and simultaneously they shouted, "Arranged marriage!?"

"Yes, now let's to play tag!" I yelled.

"What's up with that girl?" Hikaru asked.

Kaoru looked at him and shrugged.

I laughed at their exchange, and we spent the rest of that day playing games.

About a month passed and Hikaru returned to his normal self, pranking me every day. It didn't bother me, I got used to it quickly. It soon became a war between us, but he didn't know it was me pranking him. He would get so mad trying to figure it out, and it made me laugh.

CRASH!

"Aah!" I heard Hikaru yell.

I looked over to see him drenched in water with a bucket over his head.

I held in laughter as he angrily took the bucket off of his head.

"Who keeps pranking me!?" He exclaimed.

Kaoru was in on my secret, and we were sitting on one of the couches stifling our laughter.

Hikaru stormed off in a huff to change his clothes and Kaoru and I burst out laughing.

A few minutes later Tamaki had made an announcement.

"This week, we are having a medieval royal theme!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"And I have to be a princess, don't I?" I asked.

"Yes! Having too many princes without a beautiful princess is crazy!" Tamaki exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the dressing room. I put everything on and looked at the reflection. I brushed my now blue eyes with mascara and put on some shiny lip gloss. I straightened out the flowy white dress and pulled a brush through my long golden locks.

I walked out of the dressing room and Hikaru's jaw dropped to the floor, making it crack.

Tamaki had tears in his eyes and said, "My little girl is so beautiful! I always knew this day would come but... Now I have to let my little girl grow up!"

"Tamaki, calm down." I said.

"Wait!" He exclaimed, jumping up and running over to a box in the corner of the room. He took out a diamond tiara and put it on my head, making me look like a real princess.

"Are we acting the part too or can I be myself?" I asked.

"We'll of course we act the part. That's the point." Kyouya said.

"Uhh, fine." I groaned. I cleared my throat and composed myself.

I curtsied and said gently, "Hello your highnesses, allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Josephine, and it is my honor to be in your presence."

The host club opened minutes later and I wasn't very busy, since no one was expecting a girl. Mostly I just walked around and joined conversations.

It was about fifteen minutes before closing when another prank went off, but Hikaru fell and hurt his hand.

"Prince Hikaru!" I yelled, hurrying to his side. "Are you hurt!?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine, I just fell on my hand." He said, sitting up.

"Oh, poor Prince Hikaru." I gently took hold of his hand and pressed my lips to it, causing many girls to scream and shocking the members of the club.

Hikaru's entire face was red and I could feel his rapid heartbeat. I took my lips off of his hand and said, "I'll wrap up your hand. You can't just leave it like this."

I took out some bandages and began to wrap up his hand, gently stroking my fingers against his skin. I looked up at his red face and whispered, "Are you embarrassed?"

His face got even redder and I giggled. Honey appeared at my side and dragged me over to his table to have a tea party.

The next day only a handful of guys showed up, so I was mostly free.

"Idiot!" Someone yelled.

I looked over at the voice and saw that Hikaru had been slapped.

"How can you say that to me!? His can you say that after I confessed to you!?" she yelled.

I hurried over and stood in front of Hikaru. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Move bitch! This isn't your business!" She yelled.

Mori was about to move in, but I put up a hand to stop him.

"Please, just calm down. This is not the place or time to cause a scene." I said.

She clenched her fists and raised her hand to slap me, but before she hit me I grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back.

"Violence isn't going to help you. I think you should just tell us what happened so we can fix it." I said.

Tears gathered in the girls eyes and she said, "I... I love Hikaru, but he won't go out with me!"

I looked towards Hikaru, and he looked away. I let go of the girl and said, "You have to understand. Prince Hikaru doesn't feel the same way about you."

"I like someone else." Hikaru said, turning red.

"Idiot!" The girl yelled, running out of the music room.

I turned towards Hikaru and asked, "Are you okay, Prince Hikaru?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said.

I tilted his head and looked at his cheek. "She hit you really hard... You just keep getting hurt Prince Hikaru." I said. I pressed my lips to his cheek, causing Prince Tamaki to pass out.

I put a band-aid on Hikaru's cheek and said, "But I'll always be here to fix you up."

His face flamed red and I flashed a smile.

The next day a ton of guys came in and I was really busy. At one point I tripped and broke a ton if tea cups.

"Are you okay!?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked, jumping up to help me.

"I'm fine. I just tripped on..." I looked behind me and saw a banana peel. I bit down the words I wanted to say and kept up the royal act.

I began picking up the big pieces of glass and the twins helped me.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed, pulling back my gloved hand.

"What happened?" Kaoru asked.

"I think a piece of glass cut me." I said, holding my hand.

"Let me see." Hikaru said, taking my hand and pulling the glove off. He looked at my bleeding finger and a mischievous smile crossed his face.

Before I could react he kissed my finger, causing Tamaki to explode and pass out dramatically.

Color rose I'm my cheeks and Hikaru gently put a band-aid on my finger.

"Just like you help me, I can help you." Hikaru said.

I quickly stood up and busied myself with other things, wanting to avoid Hikaru so he couldn't tease me about my red face. The host club closed soon after, and I left for home earlier than usual.


	10. Chapter 10

I laid in my bed and started talking to myself. At first I was just asking questions, and then I started answering them.

"Why did Hikaru even do that? Was he trying to be funny or...? No, no, he doesn't like me. Wait, why did I even assume that!? Do I like him? ...No! Nononononono why would I even ask myself that!? But then... Why did I kiss him in the first place? I kissed his hand and his cheek, but I had no reason to. Did he have a reason to kiss my finger? Why am I even getting so worked up about it? Why did he kiss it in the first place? I mean a finger of all things. If he was going to kiss me he could've- Ahh stop it with these weird thoughts!" I yelled.

I picked up my phone and tried to distract myself. Just then an incoming call from Hikaru showed up, and I hurriedly answered it.

"Oh wow, you picked up even before it rang. Were you waiting for me to call?" He asked.

"No! Geez Kaoru, why did you call me from Hikaru's phone anyway?" I asked.

"Well, Hikaru's..."

My eyes grew wide as I listened over the phone. I jumped up from my bed and raced down the stairs, not bothering to put on shoes or even grab a coat. As I ran the pouring rain slammed upon my skin like icy needles, but I only ran faster and faster towards where I wanted to go.

I flew through the door and saw everyone, except Hikaru of course. Honey was teary eyed, gripping Usa tightly as he clung to Mori's arm. Mori was sitting in a chair, looking forlorn and sad. Kyouya was simply leaning against a wall; resting his head on it with his eyes closed and pocketed hands. Tamaki was strangely quiet, looking at the floor with hands in his pockets. Kaoru was in a state of distress, but kept it inside himself. His fists were clenched tightly, displaying white knuckles as they shook in frustration. His eyes were tear filled, one dripping down his face occasionally. His ankle was wrapped up and he had a few bandages on, but he didn't look seriously injured.

As soon as I entered their eyes snapped towards me, widening with surprise at my appearance.

I was drenched; droplets dripping from my hair and clothing. I had on a white tank top and blue jeans, barefoot and out of breath.

"W-where's Hikaru!?" I panted, gasping for air.

Tamaki looked at a door in the hallway, and I looked at everyone for approval. Kyouya nodded his head, gesturing for me to go. I ran to the door and hurriedly opened it, fearing that my thoughts were true.

The room was calm and quiet, with only the sound of Hikaru's heartbeat on the monitor. Tears brimmed my eyes as I walked towards him, lying motionlessly in the hospital bed. He had bandages wrapped around his head and a cast covering his whole leg, also his arm.

I made my way to the side of the bed and looked at him. He had such a pale face, like a sheet of paper. His expression was calm, with no sign of pain on his face. A single tear slid down my face and I gently grabbed his hand, squeezing it in hopes he would know I was there.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me sleepily, a small, pained smile spreading across his face.

"You look horrible." He said, laughing a little as he did so.

Normally I would get mad, but instead I just sank to my knees and began to cry.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I really didn't!" Hikaru exclaimed, trying to sit up in his hospital bed.

"No, it's not that." I said through my tears.

I heard Hikaru relax and I continued.

"When Kaoru called me and told me you'd been hit by a truck, I was so afraid that something happened to you..." I stood back up on my feet and looked at Hikaru. "I don't know shark would've done if something happened to you. I don't want to lose you." I said, wiping the tears from my face.

Hikaru squeezed my hand, letting me know he'd be fine and it was okay.

What had happened was Hikaru and Kaoru were crossing the street, but a truck driver hadn't seen them. Hikaru pushed Kaoru out of the way, but couldn't save himself. He was hit, and Kaoru called the ambulance quickly. The driver was heavily intoxicated, and was arrested shortly after the police and ambulance had arrived. Hikaru was rushed to the hospital and had emergency care, saving his life.

Kaoru walked through the door and I let go of Hikaru's hand, intending to leave.

Hikaru grabbed my hand and I turned to look at him. His hair was covering his eyes and he had a deep blush on his face.

Beep beep, beep beep...

"Kaoru... Could you let me talk to her for a few more minutes?" Hikaru asked.

Beep beep, beep beep...

Kaoru's eyes widened and he nodded, seeming like he understood the situation.

The door closed behind Kaoru but Hikaru still gripped my hand tightly.

Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep...

I had been looking around for the beeping sound when I remembered the heart monitor.

His heartbeat is really fast...

"Hikaru... Are you nervous?" I asked.

"...When I was about to get hit by the truck I was almost certain I was going to die, but... Then something went through my mind. I told myself if I die without saying it, I'd never forgive myself."

His eyes peeked out from under his hair and looked straight into mine.

I heard my heart pounding in my chest, going almost as fast as the heart monitor. My hands trembled slightly and I held my breath, anticipating what he was going to say.

"I like you." He said. "And not as a friend. I like you as more than a friend, like someone I want to date."

"You... Like me?" I asked in disbelief.

"You don't need to answer me right now. All I wanted was for you to know how I feel."

The room was quiet for a moment, but Hikaru started talking again.

"Wait, there's one more thing I want." He said.

Before I could react he tugged on my arm and pulled me closer, taking my lips with his.

My eyes were wide as saucers and my cheeks flamed red, but my eyes slowly closed and I relaxed, letting myself be enveloped by the kiss.

What we hadn't noticed was Tamaki standing in the doorway and the rest of the club looking in from the waiting room.

We pulled back from each other slightly, looking into each other's eyes.

Hikaru's eyes looked at the doorway and he smiled mischievously. I turned my attention and everyone but Tamaki was giving a thumbs up.

Tamaki himself was completely drained of color, frozen with shock. He snapped out of it and began yelling at Hikaru, causing a doctor and some nurses to rush in and restrain him. I the midst of all the chaos I gently touched my lips and smiled, a light blush coloring my cheeks.

I would visit Hikaru after the host club closed, but visiting hours were short. I decided that I would do my best in the host club to make up for his absence, and boy did I.

I was sitting in a chair with twelve requests in the couches around me. We were all talking and laughing, but there would be moments where I did cliché things like drop my handkerchief or lose my heel.

At a certain point in the day my heel broke, and I played that scenario until I couldn't anymore. By now I had three spots full of requests, and I was going left and right, zigzagging and spinning in circles with a broken heel. I finally decided to take them off, and I felt free.

"I love being barefoot. It makes me want to dance!" I said, getting up and spinning around.

Kyouya put on some ballroom music and a few guys got up to dance with me. The members of the host club got up with their requests, and everyone eventually gathered on the floor.

I was dancing all over, sometimes by myself or switching from guy to guy. Members with requests, requests with requests, it was wonderful.

I had just stopped dancing with a boy and was going to dance by myself when I was tripped. I fell flat on the floor, smacking my chin on the ground and making my teeth clatter. My head was spinning as I pushed myself up on my hands, and a girl started talking.

"You deserved that." She scowled. It was the girl who confessed to Hikaru.

"What...?" I asked, still in a daze.

"Bitches like you should stay out of people's business." She put her foot on my back and leaned on it, acting like she beat me.

I put my hand up to my mouth and saw blood on my gloved hand. I spat out some blood and simply stood up, confusing the girl.

"What a shame... If you'll excuse me, I must wash off my glove before it stains." I said, walking away.

"I'm not done with you bitch!" She exclaimed, grabbing my hair.

The wig came off of my head and my hair fell down my face, covering my eyes.

There was a gasp in the room and I heard murmuring.

I began to laugh evilly. I looked up at her through my hair and said, "Some things are better left unknown." I began to laugh again as my hands moved towards her neck, and she stood paralyzed with fear.

A hand rested on my shoulder, and I turned to see Mori. My hands retreated an I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me. Sometimes I cannot control myself. I'm sorry. Now, I must wash off my gloves." I said.

"You think you can threaten me like that? I'll sue you bitch!" The girl exclaimed.

"For what? I have done nothing wrong. I should sue you." I said, not even turning to look at her.

"Are you threatening me bitch? Do you know who I am!?"

"No, I don't. I guess that makes you insignificant." I said, beginning to walk again.

"You're just a fucking stupid ass bitch!" She yelled from behind me.

"Isn't it dangerous to use ones entire vocabulary in one sentence?" I asked, looking over my shoulder and smirking at her.

"Ooh..." Went through the room.

"Fuck you bitch!"

"You know, your ass should be jealous of all the shit coming out of your mouth. Oh wait, you don't have an ass, it's just flatness back there."

"Ooh!" Went through the crowd.

At this point the host club was dying of silent laughter.

The girl lunged at me to try and punch me, but I caught her fist and smiled at her. She tried to punch me with her other hand, but I caught that one too. I held her with a death grip and glared into her eyes, burning her very soul with the intensity.

She couldn't break away from my grip or my stare, so she stood in helpless fear. Tears brimmed her eyes and panic seeped out of every pour, making her look like a scared puppy.

I laughed darkly and let her go, my expression returning to a smiling princess. The girl scrambled out of the room crying, not even uttering a single threat.

I giggled a little and said, "I'm sorry you all had to see me that way. Now, I really must wash off my glove before it stains."

I calmly walked out of the room, and the silence was shattered by everyone talking about what just happened. I could also hear the laughter of the host club, Tamaki laughing and yelling that he was so proud I could stand up for myself without using violence.

I had washed the blood out of my mouth and off my glove, so I took a moment to dwell on what happened. I smiled as I remembered her expression and the looks on everyone's faces.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and remembered my wig was gone. I was glad nobody recognized me, due to the contacts and makeup. I took a deep breath and walked back to the main room.

"I personally like you better without the wig. You're prettier." One guy said.

"Yeah, it suits you a lot better." Another said.

"Aww, thanks guys. Now come on, let's keep dancing!" I said excitedly, pulling one of them with me on the dance floor.

The music was ending and I was twirling around near the one of the dance floor. I noticed a person in front of me and did a finishing pose, but I had too much momentum and ended up kissing them.

I hurriedly bowed my head, but they did too and we ended up bonking them together. I held my head and apologized again, but I saw the person I kissed was Hikaru.

"Prince Hikaru! You were discharged from the hospital!" I exclaimed, hugging him.

"Haha, I knew you'd be excited to see me Princess, but I don't think you kiss me." He said teasingly.

My face got red and I let go of him, apologizing and saying I didn't mean it.

Tamaki had passed out dramatically on the floor, but nobody really paid attention to him. As of now, all eyed were on us.

"Oh my gosh! You're injured! I totally forgot! Is your head okay!?" I asked, taking his face in my hands. I kissed his head and said, "Does it hurt? Do you want me to get some ice?"

"Calm down Princess. I'm fine, I promise." Prince Hikaru said, taking my hand. The gesture told me to calm down, and I relaxed. We both began to laugh, and were together for the rest of that day.

I had taken the dress and makeup off, and waved to the host club as I left for home.

The house was empty, as it usually was. Mom recently got really interested in runs, so she was probably out doing a marathon or a 5k. I threw my backpack on the ground next to the door and went upstairs into my room. I stretched out on my bed, and as I usually did when home alone, I talked to myself.

"Hikaru likes me... Do I like him? I mean, I always talked to him and noticed him more than any other host club members..." Just then everything we'd done together flashed before my eyes.

When he and Kaoru looked for me after I had run out, the first time I talked to him, when he saw the bruise on my face from my uncle, the time we played the 'Which one is Hikaru?' game. When I talked to him about my past before we left on vacation, the time Junya and played a prank on him to get him back, the time we went on a date, that night he held me during the thunderstorm, the time he helped me when my cousins ex was following me, the dissolving swimsuit trick, those things he said when he apologized for it, the plane ride home, the Tabasco tea, the few weeks I spent living with him, the day in court, the cosplay week, those kisses during the medieval week, his kiss in the hospital... and lastly, his smiling face. God, his smile. I loved it when he was smiling or laughing with me.

Then, I realized it.

It wasn't just his smile.

It was _him_.


	11. Chapter 11

I... I like Hikaru...

I put a hand over my beating heart and took a moment to breathe.

"I..."

"I..."

I like somebody... I... Not only do I have friends, but... I have someone I like... And he likes me...

I swallowed hard.

"I... I like..." I felt a sharp pain in my chest and gasped, falling to my knees.

Flashback:

"I like you." A dark face said.

I couldn't see what they looked like; all I saw was the outline of a boy.

I blinked. I felt the heat in my cheeks and my pounding heart.

"I... I like you. I like you a lot. I want you to be my girlfriend." The boy said.

His voice... It's so familiar...

I was about to run away, but the boy put his hands on the wall on either side of me, preventing me from escaping.

"I broke up with her, if that's what you're worrying about. I want you, not Moko. Please." The boy said, taking my hand.

'Chigusa...' I said in my mind.

End of flashback.

My eyes snapped open, and I realized I was lying on the floor.

"Chi... Chi..." I tried to say. I immediately scrambled over to a box and tipped it over, spilling its contents all over the floor. I frantically searched through them until what I wanted came up. I picked it up with a shaky hand, and another vision took over.

Flashback:

"I don't need an answer anytime soon. I'll wait until you're comfortable enough to talk. For now, I just want you to have this."

He took my hand gently and put the bracelet on my wrist. I looked at it in disbelief. It was so pretty; nobody'd ever done anything like that for me before.

I looked up at his face. This time, I could see it clearly.

End of flashback.

I realized I had tears in my eyes, about to spill over onto my cheeks. I looked down at the bracelet in my hands and yet another memory made its way into my mind.

Flashback:

"Hello, this is Mr. Tasamanka. I hear you were close to Chigusa, so I thought you should know." His voice was somber and formal, unlike the cheerful and happy person I saw pick Chigusa up every day from school.

"Chigusa has been in a fatal accident. He was hit by a car..."

I couldn't hear the rest as the phone slipped from my grasp and landed on the floor.

'I... Was going to tell him yes tomorrow... I was going to tell him I liked him too... I was going to talk to him, let him hear my voice... But I was too late.'

My hand clenched into a fist and I felt tears start to fill my eyes.

'No. I can't cry. Chigusa would be sad if I cried. He would want me to be happy that he's in a better place, but... How can I possibly be happy now?'

End of flashback.

Is that why I was so frantic to see Hikaru? Because it was what happened to Chigusa? Did I think that if I saw Hikaru, it would be like what happened to Chigusa never happened?

I looked down at the bracelet in my trembling hands and the tears spilled rapidly down my cheeks.

"Chi... Chigusa!" I yelled, clutching the bracelet and falling onto the floor. I curled in a ball and cried, clutching the bracelet tightly in my hand.

If Chigusa hadn't died... Would things have turned out differently?

I stayed in my room for the rest of that day, not even replying to my mother when she got home.

I have school tomorrow... I need to talk to Hikaru.

I had put Yuki's bunny in my backpack and Chigusa's bracelet on my wrist. I didn't say a word during class and went straight to the roof at lunch. I was still spinning my wheels, spinning rapidly in endless circles of thought. I always came to the same question and logical solution, but... Can I do it?

I heard the door to the rooftop open and footsteps came over to me. Arms wrapped around me from behind and the person whispered into my ear, "Are you okay? You've been quiet all day."

It's Hikaru...

I gripped the railing tightly and a light breeze filled the air. I didn't realize it myself, but tears started to slide down my face.

"A-are you okay? What's wrong!? Did I do something?" Hikaru asked, panicked.

"I..."

He stopped panicking and looked at me, confused.

"I'm scared..." I choked out.

"What? Why?"

I gripped the railing tighter and tears continued to slide down my face, dripping onto the ground below.

I faced Hikaru and said, "Every time... Every time I let someone in they leave!"

I fell down to my knees and said, "Yuki betrayed me, Junya left, Chigusa died, my father died, my uncle abused me, what next!? Are you going to die too!?" I yelled.

"Jo... What's going on?" Hikaru asked gently.

"I like you... I really like you... I like you so much it scares me, but... But last time I liked somebody, they... They..." I couldn't say anymore as my heart felt as if it were going to burst. If I say any more, I'll...

Suddenly I was in Hikaru's arms, being held in the most loving way. I closed my eyes and said, "Last time I liked somebody, they died before I could tell them. He was hit by a car, and I didn't want that to happen again..."

Hikaru held my face in his hands and looked at me.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I promise." He said.

"Hikaru..."

He pulled my face closer and kissed me, easing the pain I had been feeling all day. It's like all the worries and sadness disappeared into thin air.

Time seemed to fly by in the next few months. Each day was filled with happiness and laughter, like my past hadn't even happened. I had buried Chigusa's bracelet and Yuki's bunny in a time capsule, along with pictures of me in the host club. One of me and my mom, and one of just me and Hikaru. Tamaki was in the background fainting, but I thought that just made it funnier. There were pictures from elementary school and middle school, holding bad memories and good memories. Finally, I put in a letter to myself.

'_Dear Future Jo,_

_I don't know if you're actually reading this, but if you are, there are some important things I want you to remember. 1, life is much easier if you just tell people about things; don't think about them all by yourself. 2, everybody from the host club truly cares about you; never forget they are your friends. 3, I don't know if when you're reading this you'll still be with Hikaru, but if you are, never let him go no matter what uncertainties you may have. 4, don't let your past affect you; if you ever lose your way just remember you can always make it better. All you have to is find those you can trust, and there'll always be someone you can trust around you. 5, never forget Ouran High School Host Club, the place that brought you back to life._

_-Sincerely, A Happy Jo_.'

The box was buried in the park Junya and I used to play in, under our favorite tree. I visited the place once in awhile, just to reminisce and think.

Each day I'm with Hikaru, the host club, my mom... I can forget about my past and move on, to make myself a better future.

It was the end of the year, and for the last week of school we had different events each day. The first day, we had a field day during school hours, so the host club was still open that day.

My hair had grown fairly long, so now I had to tie it up and hide it under a hat. My hair always grew so fast so I'd cut it every month, but something told me to stop. Now it tumbled about four inches past my shoulder when I let it down.

I was walking down the hall after school when a group of nine guys stopped me in the hallway.

"Hey there Joe, there's somethin' we wanted to talk to ya about." The leader said.

These were the school bullies...

"Sorry guys. Maybe another time." I said, walking past them.

"Wait a second there bub." The leader said, grabbing my collar. "I said we need to talk to ya about somethin."

"Fine. What do you guys want?" I asked, annoyed.

"Well you see, my sister Naomi has taken a liking to ya. We wanted to know if you'd go with her to the school festival. Invite her out, show her a good time."

"Sorry, I have no interest in your sister." I said, trying to walk away again.

The bully kept his grip on my collar and I noticed a crowd start to form.

"Are ya sayin my sister ain't good enough for ya?" The bully asked.

"I said no such thing. All I said was I wasn't interested in her. Now let go before someone causes a scene." I said.

"The only one who's gonna cause a scene is me!" The guy exclaimed, punching me in the face. I fell to the floor and my hat flew off, falling on to the floor. A few strands of stray hair came out of my ponytail, but I didn't notice.

Before I could fight back two of the goons grabbed my arms, trapping me. The main bully started punching me in the gut, causing students to run and see. Others ran to tell people on other floors, causing a crowd to form.

My hair band broke in the struggle and my hair tumbled down, getting in my way.

"Everyone, hurry! Joe's getting beat up!" Some people yelled.

I pulled away once more from the two guys, causing my white button-up to rip. I pushed away from the two guys and they fell back, knocking another goon over. I kicked the main bully in the face, and the rest of the standing bullies charged at me.

"Everybody, come quick! Joe's in a fight!" I heard.

I swept their feet out from under all of them and they smacked their heads on the ground, putting them in a daze. The two goons that held my arms charged at me, so I kicked one in the nuts and punched the other in the gut. I roundhouse kicked the last guy and he fell over, being the weakling of the bunch.

"Everybody move! I can't see!" I heard people yell.

Someone tackled me from behind and I flipped him over onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Two of the guys that fell on the floor tried to gang up on me, one of them punching me in the face and another kicking me in the back. I kicked one in the stomach and slammed the other one on the ground, but three more came at me. I was pushed against some lockers and punched repeatedly, some in the face and others in the gut. I took whoever's hand was holding me against the lockers and twisted it, shoving them against the other two but only hitting one. The person I missed tried to punch me, but I grabbed his arm and swept his feet out from under him, knocking the wind out of him.

All nine of the guys were on the floor now and I saw tons of eyes on me. I spat out some blood in my mouth and said, "Idiots..." I walked through the people and picked up my backpack, putting it over my shoulder.

"Joe...?" One girl asked me.

"What?" I asked looking at her.

"You... You're..." She pointed at me and I looked down at my bloody clothes.

I was only in a tank top...!

"Oh, these. They're called boobs, breasts to be formal." I said, referring to them. "What about em?" I asked.

"You're... A girl?" Another girl asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"But, why were you at the host club!?" A few girls asked.

"Oh, that. Things happened, stuff was said, next thing I knew I was a dog for the club with the members that thought I was also a boy, next thing I know I'm a host. Then they find out I'm a girl but let me stay a host, so I just rolled with it." I said, shrugging.

"Jo!" Tamaki yelled, jumping over the crowd and pouncing on me. He hugged me protectively and said, "Who's trying to hurt you!? They have to go through me first!"

I pushed him away from me and he hit the wall.

"It's over already, chill out."

Honey ran up to me crying and said, "I don't want you to get hurt Jo! I'm so sorry we couldn't protect you!"

I picked him up and said, "Its okay Honey, I beat them."

I set Honey down and stood up when I was kicked in the back of the head.

I swayed on the spot, but fought to stay conscious. Just before I fell over I kicked the person square in the jaw, knocking them out.

Hikaru caught me from behind and I felt dizzy.

"Jo! What happened!?" He asked.

"These guys... Wanted me to take someone on a date..." I said.

"Why are you all bloody? Was the fight that bad!?"

"It was nine against one..." I laughed and said, "I kicked their asses..."

"Do they know...?"

"Everyone knows I'm a girl now... I don't care. It never really mattered to me anyways."

Everyone's voices started to echo and they got further and further away.

"Jo? Jo! Stay with me! Someone call a doctor!" Hikaru yelled.

I reached my hand up, just barely making it to his face. "It's okay... I'm fine..."

"You're not fine!" He exclaimed.

He was so far away now... I have to ease his worries.

"I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I promise."

His eyes widened and a small smile spread on my lips.

Is he worrying that if I fall asleep, I'll go into a coma and never wake up? He's such a worrier... My injuries can't be that bad.

He looked like he was saying something, but I couldn't hear him. Then, he faded from vision and my hand fell.

Wait... I have to tell him something...


	12. Chapter 12

Hikaru POV:

I was pacing around the waiting room waiting for the doctor to come out of the room. When he did, I anxiously awaited what he was going to say.

"She's a tough girl, being able to fight off nine boys with minimal damage. Her current injuries are head trauma and bruising. As of now she is in a coma, but we expect her to wake up soon. She should be back to school before or on Thursday." The doctor said.

"Are we allowed to see her?" Honey asked.

"Yes, it should be okay. Just as long as there aren't too many people in the room." The doctor said.

Everyone looked at me and I nodded. I hurried into the room and walked to her bedside.

'This is probably what she felt like, but much worse.' I thought.

I gently took her bruised hand and held it. She had so many bruises and bandages on her face... I couldn't imagine what the rest of her body looked like.

"Nine guys... You certainly are something." I said to her. "Your hair got really long. I like it." I pushed a piece out of her face. She looked like she was in pain. I kissed her gently, as if she was asleep. "When you wake up, there's something I want to ask you."

I visited her the next day after school. She was still asleep. I took her hand just like I did yesterday and kissed her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at me.

"Hikaru..." She said. Her voice was raspy and hoarse.

"Jo, you're awake. Finally." I said teasingly.

"Hikaru, there's something I need to tell you." She said seriously.

"Okay. Tell me." I said pulling up a chair.

She squeezed my hand tighter and said, "I've been thinking about this for a long time. Over these past few months, my feelings for you changed." She said. Tears began to gather in her eyes and I felt my heart drop.

She isn't going to...?

"I don't like you anymore." She said, looking up at me as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

I looked down at the ground and processed the words. I nodded my head, and moved to walk out of the room. I would have, but she wouldn't let go of my hand.

"Look at me." She said.

I looked at her, and she had a smile on her face. I was confused, but before I could react she spoke again.

"I love you."

Time stopped.

My breathing stopped.

My thinking stopped.

I looked at her with wide eyes as she smiled at me. She was smiling that smile that made my heart churn. That smile that made me go crazy. That smile I wanted to protect.

I took a step forward and kissed her, not caring about anything else. I didn't care that we were in a hospital. I didn't care that someone could walk in at any moment. All I cared about was this girl right in front of me. MY Jo.

I pulled back to let her breathe, but I didn't for long. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me towards her, still letting tears fall down her face. I put my hand behind her head, running my fingers through her hair.

"I love you too." I said when we broke the kiss.

She quickly returned, silencing me with her lips.

"I wanted to ask you... If you wanted to go out with me." I said between kisses.

"Yes..." She replied.

We eventually broke apart and I had to leave, because visiting hours were over.

Jo POV:

The next day I was discharged from the hospital and realized it was still morning. An idea popped into my head and I headed to school.

It was the third day event, and I was getting ready for the talent show. I braced myself backstage, taking deep breaths and trying to keep calm. I didn't tell anyone I was in the show. I wanted it to be a surprise.

After one last deep breath I opened my eyes and smiled. I can do it.

Nobody from the host club knew I was there. I had signed up in secret and stayed hidden, not wanting to be noticed. It was almost my turn, as the person before me was closing up their act.

They exited the stage and I took another deep breath. I walked onto the stage, using my hair to cover my face. I connected my mic to the stand and gave the tech person a thumbs up.

I looked up at the audience and everyone gasped. Murmurs went through the crowd, and I found the host club a few rows back. I smirked at their surprised faces, and the music started to play.

"Sometimes, it feels like, I'm gonna break. Sometimes, this world gives more than I can take. Sometimes, sunshine, gets lost in the rain, and it keeps pouring down. It just keeps coming down. This life would kill me If I didn't have you! I couldn't live without you baby, I wouldn't want to. If you didn't love me so much, I'd never make it through 'cause, this life would kill me, this life would kill me if I didn't have you! You are, my heart, every breath I breathe. I'm safe, in your arms, you rescue me. When I'm weak, you're strong. If you were gone I don't know where I'd be. You were made for me! This life would kill me If I didn't have you! I couldn't live without you baby, I wouldn't want to. If you didn't love me so much, I'd never make it through 'cause, this life would kill me, this life would kill me if I didn't have you! If you didn't love me so much, this life would kill me If I didn't have you! Couldn't live without you baby, I wouldn't want to. If you didn't love me so much, I'd never make it through 'cause, this life would kill me, this life would kill me if I didn't have you."

The music ended and there were a few seconds of silence.

Was I bad? Did my singing really suck? Are they going to hate me?

Just as I was about to run off stage, I heard someone start clapping. I scanned the crowd for the sound, and it was... Hikaru. Next Kaoru started clapping, then Honey, and Tamaki, even Mori and Kyouya... A few seconds later the entire auditorium erupted with cheering and clapping.

A wide smile spread on my bruised and battered face, and I happily walked off stage.

I was good, and they liked it.

_Hikaru_ liked it.

Everyone gathered in the courtyard after the talent show for the last ten minutes of school. I met up with the host club shortly after being released, receiving praise and congratulations.

"Thanks guys. It's great to be back." I said.

"I'm so happy you're out of the hospital!" Honey exclaimed, hugging my legs.

I noticed Hikaru and smiled at him, causing him to blush. I giggled at his reaction when I remembered something.

"Guys! The host club opens in a few minutes! Come on, let's go!" I exclaimed, grabbing Honey and Mori's hands. I ran towards the host club and tugged them along, the rest of the guys chasing after me.

I opened the doors to the host club and smiled. "We have a busy day ahead of us today. Let's show our customers a good time!" I said, throwing my fist up in the air.

"Yeah!" Everyone said.

The host club was bustling, both boys and girls wanting to hear about the fight. I had over three hundred requests that day, and everyone else's request numbers were up too.

It was almost magical, everyone laughing and having fun. I looked around the room and saw everyone's smiling faces, making me happier by the second.

My eyes met Hikaru's, and we smiled at each other.

This is what happiness feels like.

The host club closed and Kyouya tapped me on the shoulder.

"According to my calculations, you only need twelve more requests to fill your quota. Then you'll be debt free." He said, pushing up his glasses.

"Thanks Kyouya." I said, smiling.

I was walking through the school gate when Hikaru and Kaoru caught up to me.

"We'll walk you home." They said.

"Really? Thanks guys." I said, smiling.

We talked about everything from video games to politics, laughing at the jokes we made and ferociously debating our opinions, all while keeping a happy atmosphere around us. We turned on to my street and started closing up the conversation, knowing we would part soon enough.

We reached my house and I waved goodbye to them as they continued their walk home. I turned into my house and walked up to my room, taking my books out to finish up my homework.

Something fell out of my backpack and hit the floor, catching my attention. It was a little box. I picked it up and opened it, finding a crumpled up piece of paper.

"What?" I asked myself.

I held the paper in my hand and started to open it up. I flattened it out and found that there was writing on it.

'Ginza Park, 7 pm'

I looked at the clock. 5:45.

I bit my thumbnail and looked at the paper. It has to be someone who goes to my school. It's not like some serial killer snuck it in to my backpack.

I put the note in my pocket and did my homework, not wanting to think about it.

When I finished my homework it was 6:30. I looked at the note again, and figured it couldn't be something bad. I put my shoes on and walked out the door, telling my mom I'd be back later.

I reached the park a few minutes early, so I sat down on a swing and took out my cell phone.

Missed call: Hikaru (7)

"Seven missed calls!?" I exclaimed. I pressed the button to call him back and put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring.

Suddenly my phone was taken from me and I turned my head around to see who did it.

"Hikaru?" I asked, looking up at his face.

He flipped my phone down to close it and said, "You should learn to answer the phone when your boyfriend calls you."

"Sorry, I didn't check my phone until just now. Why are you here anyways?" I asked.

"I wanted to see you, so I said to meet me here." He said.

"You know, you could've just texted me. Oh wait..."

"Yeah. So why are you an hour late?" Hikaru asked.

"An hour late? But the note said seven..." I said, taking it out of my pocket. I showed it to Hikaru and he scratched his head, blushing.

"It was supposed to say six... Oh well, you're here now."

We played around at the park for awhile, acting like little children as we ran around and laughed. We kissed a couple of times, smiling with blushed faces.

"Hey... Are we going to tell everyone about us or do you want to keep it secret?" I asked, holding his hand.

"Well I don't see a reason why we need to keep it a secret, but if you're not comfortable telling people I'll stay quiet." Hikaru said.

"I don't want to hide it from everybody. I want to tell them, because I trust them and they're my friends." I said.

"...um," Hikaru looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't comfortable saying it.

"What?" I asked.

"When you were on the roof... What were you talking about?"

My chest tightened. "Oh... That." I said. I took a breath and said, "There was a boy I liked in middle school. I was going to tell him that I liked him, but before I could he got hit by a car... And... And..."

"Is that why you were so frantic when you heard I was in the hospital?" Hikaru asked. He sounded annoyed.

"I don't know... I didn't even remember Chigusa until the day before the roof..." I said.

"Really?" Hikaru said, sounding even more annoyed. He let go of my hand and a cold wind blew in the air.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm going home." He said angrily.

"What? Wait!" I exclaimed, grabbing his hand.

He ripped his hand free and the wind blew up again, sending leaves flying up into the air.

There was a moment of silence as I stood there, shocked.

"...So you're saying I'm his replacement?" Hikaru asked.

"What? ...How could you-"

"I'm leaving."

"Hikaru? Hikaru wait! Hikaru!" I yelled as he kept walking. No matter what I did he wouldn't turn around, and I was too afraid to chase after him.

I sat down on the play structure and hugged my knees, thinking about texting him. What did I do wrong? What should I have said?

I sighed in defeat and tears started to leak from my eyes. I felt fear; fear that he would end it when it had just begun. I knew I was probably over thinking it, but the thought just kept spinning around in my head.

"Are you okay?" I heard.

I looked up, and almost passed out.

No, way.

"Hey... Do I know you from somewhere?" The person asked.

No way. No way. _No_. _Freaking_. _Way_.

"...Chigusa?"

...I said it...

"Wait... Are you... Jordan?"

I felt like I was going to explode. Sadness, happiness, fear, confusion, and shock were all swirling around inside of me, with millions of questions fighting in my brain.

All I could do was nod my head.

"Now way... What happened to you!?" Chigusa asked.

"What happened to _you_? How are you here?" My hands flew to the side of my head and I said, "I'm going crazy! I need to stop thinking so much!"

"What's wrong with you? Calm down!" Chigusa said, putting his hands on my shoulders.

The color drained from my face as I felt the heat of his skin. He's not a ghost... he's... alive...

"You... You died! Your dad called and said you were hit by a car!" I yelled.

"What? I didn't die. I just broke my leg... My dad called you to tell you I wouldn't be at school for awhile and not to worry." Chigusa said.

"But, but, you never came back to school!" I yelled.

"My dad's job caused us to move to Hong Kong for awhile... I just moved back a few months ago." Chigusa said. He began to laugh and said, "You thought I was dead? Haha! That's just like you to assume the worst and over think it!" He began laughing really hard to where he almost fell over.

I pursed my lips as fresh tears started to fall. "It's not funny." I said.

Chigusa stopped laughing and looked at me, the smile falling from his face.

"Because of you I was afraid to like somebody. I was afraid that if I tried to be in a relationship with someone they would die, and now my boyfriend is mad at me because he thinks I'm using him to replace you!"

"Replace me?" Chigusa repeated.

"I told him I liked you in middle school and that you died before I could tell you... Now he thinks I still have feelings for you and am using him as a replacement!" I balled my hands into fists and punched the play structure, causing the plastic to dent and the structure to shake.

"Whoa whoa, calm down! Can't you just talk to him about it?" Chigusa asked.

"He's mad and won't listen to me... What do I do?" I asked.

"Well, I assume your feelings for me have subsided because you found someone else, so just tell him that. Tell him you don't like me and you like him. Simple." Chigusa said, smiling.

"Yeah... Yeah! I just need to tell him how I feel. Thanks Chigusa!" I said.

After that we talked, not even realizing the sun had set long ago. When we finally did notice he walked me home, exchanging numbers with me.

I laid down in my bed and opened my phone, pondering what to say to Hikaru.

'I need to talk to you.'

"No... He'll ignore me." I said. I debated a little more, and then settled on what to say.

'I love you.'

Send.

'Your message has been sent.'

I sighed and closed my phone, knowing Hikaru wouldn't respond. I pulled my blanket over myself and closed my eyes, falling into slumber.


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up and dragged myself to school, and once I got there I tried to talk to Hikaru. He ignored me, of course.

Class started and Hikaru wouldn't even look at me. I sighed and the teacher started talking about the event for today. I had no choice but to pay attention.

"Good morning class. Today's event will be a parade. It will take place during school hours, ending today. Each class will build a float and at the end of the day, participate in the parade. The floats will be judged by the PE teachers, and the winning class gets a special prize. Now, we must select a leader for our class who will lead the project."

"I nominate Jo." Kaoru said.

'Dammit Kaoru...' I said in my head. My eyes met Hikaru's, who looked away. 'I'll show him. I'll make the best float ever without your help.' "I'll do it." I said.

The teacher gave me a clip board and I started making a checklist, also estimating the number of required materials and people needed per group.

After getting organized and picking a theme the entire class agreed on, we moved to a spare classroom and got to work.

I walked around helping everybody and trying to talk to Hikaru, but every time I got close to him I was cut off by someone needing help or someone with a question. About halfway through I just gave up and focused on the task at hand.

"Okay everybody, lunch time!" I said awhile later, putting my clip board down. Before I could talk to him, Hikaru exited the room and disappeared into the crowd. I locked the doors to the classroom and went outside, looking for him.

After a few minutes of looking I bumped into Kaoru.

"Oh, Jo. Just the person I wanted to see." He said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I saw the text."

My face turned red and I looked at the ground. "Speaking of that, do you know where Hikaru...?"

"He's on the roof." Kaoru said.

"Thanks!" I said, turning.

"And Jo,"

I turned my head to look at him, and he spoke again.

"He loves you too."

I smiled at Kaoru and ran to the rooftop, not wanting to waste any more time.

I silently opened the door to the roof and saw Hikaru sitting on a bench. I made my way over to him and hugged him from behind.

"I need to talk to you." I said.

"Let go of me." He snapped.

"Just listen to me." I said, holding him tighter. He was quiet, so I took that as a signal to speak. "I don't love Chigusa. You're not his replacement."

"I'm leaving." He said, trying to get up.

"I love you. I want you to understand." I said.

"Bye."

"Listen." I said, holding him tighter. "I love you."

Hikaru escaped my grip and stood up. "Bye."

"Just listen to me!" I yelled. "I love you, not him okay!? What else do you want me to say!?"

Hikaru didn't even look at me as he started walking.

"Just listen to me! I love you!" I yelled, tears in my eyes.

This is pointless... He won't understand no matter what I say...

I dashed from the roof down the stairs and out the building, all the way to a secluded area hardly anybody used. I stood for a minute as tears slid down my face and I caught my breath.

"Okay... Now stop crying." I told myself, wiping the tears off of my cheeks. "It's okay, I can still fix it."

More slid down just as I wiped them, and I started to sob despite my fighting.

"Stop... Stop crying." I said, lightly slapping my cheeks.

My vision started to blur as more tears started to flow, and I couldn't fight it any longer. I began to cry out of frustration and felt it boil at my core. My frustration grew and grew until I couldn't take it anymore.

I clenched my fists and noticed my body was trembling. My knuckles turned white, and I felt the frustration in me start to overflow.

I screamed and punched the wall, forcing all my anger into one punch.

I looked at my fist, and more tears blurred my vision. I put my forehead against the wall, and used my shaky hands to cover my face as I sobbed.

I heard footsteps nearby and quieted my sobbing, but being unable to stop the steady flow of tears. I pulled my head away from the wall and stood up straight, lowering my hands to my sides. I looked at the person with tear filled eyes, and saw Tamaki standing there.

"Jo? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." I said, turning my head away.

"It doesn't look like nothing." He said.

I stayed silent.

"Remember, you're not alone. I'm here for you." He said.

I clenched my fists and my body started to shake even more. I squeezed my eyes shut and hugged him, sobbing uncontrollably onto his chest.

He patted my back and said, "Its okay, Daddy's here."

Fifteen minutes later when I was able to stop the waterworks I wiped my face using a handkerchief Tamaki had given me.

"Now, if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work..." I said, trying to make a quick getaway.

Tamaki grabbed my arm and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"You can't tell me you cried for fifteen minutes over nothing." Tamaki said, tightening his grip on my arm.

Tears threatened to spill over my face again, but I blinked them away. I forced a smile on my face and turned to Tamaki.

"I'm okay. I just needed to cry. I'm okay." I said.

Tamaki slowly let go of my arm and said, "Okay... But if you need to talk to somebody I'll listen."

"Thanks Tamaki. Good luck in the parade!" I said cheerily. I turned my back to him and went to the classroom, forcing myself not to cry.

I picked up my clipboard and opened the door to the classroom, only to have the clip board fall from my hands. Everything was broken; the floats structure in pieces, props scattered everywhere, and decorations strewn all over the room.

I clenched my fists, anger boiling in my core. I heard a murmur throughout my classmates, wondering who did it and how it happened.

"Come on guys, we still have plenty of time before the parade. Let's win this!" I said, putting on a fake smile as I started to pick stuff up.

"Yeah!" The class exclaimed as they began cleaning up.

I kept a fake smile and cheeriness on my face as we made repairs. I avoided Hikaru and busied myself with repairing the float and checking on the costume.

For the parade we were reenacting the talent show, which the P.E. teachers talked about quite a lot. We managed to finish on time and were able to participate in the parade.

The parade ended without a hitch and I told Kyouya I wouldn't be at the Host Club today, and that I would just fill my quota tomorrow.

I was heading towards the exit of the school when I saw Chigusa. He had waited for me because he heard about the ball and thought I'd have no one to go dress shopping with.

I agreed to go with him and was about to walk out when I literally bumped in to Hikaru.

"Jo, I need to talk to-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just get out of your way." I said over exaggeratedly. "Come on Chigusa, were burning daylight." I snapped.

Hikaru's eyes widened, but then he glared at Chigusa. I walked out of the gates, Chigusa following after me.

After an awkward silence we reached the dress shop and I tried several on. I picked my favorite one, getting matching shoes and jewelry.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Chigusa asked as we exited the shop.

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's mad at me again. Instead of fixing it I just made it worse..."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then he should know how you feel. Just give him some time to think. I have a plan..." Chigusa said.

"...So I'll be at your house before the ball. See you!" Chigusa said after going over the plan one more time.

I went home and reviewed the plan in my head. Once I was positively certain I had it down, I told my mom about the ball. She freaked out and started doing my hair, putting in purple to match my dress.

The dress itself was regal purple with diamond rhinestones, and I had gotten diamond jewelry to match it including earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. I had gotten purple heels with rhinestones to match the dress too.

After mom finished putting the vibrant purple color in my hair I went to bed.

It was almost four o'clock, and the time of the ball was drawing near. My mom had put my hair in an intricate updo, placing a diamond brooch in my hair. Chigusa had come over and done my makeup, and I looked like a completely different person. I looked... pretty.

By the time I reached the school it was 5:05, five minutes after the ball started. I hid in the shadows of the building, preparing myself.

Ten minutes passed and I took a deep breath. Showtime.

I walked in the front doors of the ballroom and all eyes focused on me. No one recognized me, and I slowly descended down the staircase and made my way to the Host Club members.

My eyes scanned them and stopped on Hikaru. I put my hand behind his head and kissed him, shocking the entire room. I pulled back from him slightly and said, "You can either forgive me now, or I can make you forgive me later."

"Jo!?" Hikaru exclaimed.

A murmur went through the crowd and the host club stared at me, mouths agape.

I winked and said, "I may be able to look like a guy, but that doesn't mean I can't be pretty." I held Hikaru's face in my hands and said, "As for you, you owe me an apology. Five kisses will do." Before he could respond I kissed him. "One." Then again. "Two." He caught on and kissed me, saying three. By the time we got to five Tamaki had freaked out, making a husk of himself and space showing in his eyes. I laughed and kissed Hikaru again.

By the end of the night everyone knew we were dating, and Tamaki had a hard time accepting it. I danced with lots of people, but always ended up with Hikaru. Fireworks went off outside, and I kissed him once more as the dance ended.

The dance ended at about 7, and the Host Club opened a few minutes after for a special end of the year celebration. Customers of both genders poured in filling up the couches and causing me to exceed my quota. I had gotten compliments on my dress, people saying I looked like a different person. Hikaru and I also got questioned, but we decided not to hide it.

Everybody was having fun in the decorated room, talking over tea or being entertained by one of the guys. I was having fun myself, always talking to different people about different things.

The party ended at 9, and the last customer waved to is as she exited the room. We quickly clanged up, and held a little party ourselves.

"So Jo, you've covered your debt and no longer need to be in the Host Club. What are you going to do?" Kyouya asked.

I picked up my teacup and took a sip, contemplating my answer. I gently set the cup down, looking into the eyes of the members and smiling. "Well, I have succeeded my quota and am now free to join whatever club I'd like. I could join the drama club, the anime club, maybe even the dark magic club..." I said, naming them off on my fingers. "But, there's one club I really want to join." I paused for dramatic effect and asked, "Can I join the Host Club?"

The guys all cheered and had their mini celebration, causing me to laugh. We laughed together until 10, and we went our separate ways for summer vacation. Hikaru and I went on dates almost every weekend, always trying something new together.

Through all of this I learned to trust people and that my past can't hold me back. I learned that I can have friends and everybody should. Finally, I learned to love.

And I don't plan to forget any time soon.

The End.

(A/N): Hey there everybody! Neonculr here. I just wanted to give special thanks to everybody that reviewed. Reviews make me really happy and encourage me to write. I also want to thank my favorites and follows. Knowing that people actually want to read what I write is the most amazing feeling in the world. Thank you all so much. Okay, enough with this sappy thank you bunk. The story is over. (FINALLY!) ...At least for now ;)


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